A New ROAD of Misfortune
by Itherael
Summary: The death of a Hero changed the world, and it started the fated END. Now, there was only one chance of stopping it. He, who was a level 5 esper... he, who was a gemstone... he, who was called Sogiita Gunha... will face unthinkable and difficult obstacles to bring him back and save the world, and he will do it with all his guts. His ROAD had began.
1. The Imagine Breaker

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I would be drinking tea with Kazuma Kamachi in this very moment.**

**Before proceeding to the prologue of the story, I would like to make some recommendations.**

**Please visit my profile. It will explain everything about how I work my stories. Also, it will feature the links that will take you to the profile that corresponds to the story you will read. There, you will have access to all images and recommended songs for each published chapter.**

**The cover of ANROM can be seen in the profile of the story too.**

**You won't be disappointed. Thanks to "PupsIsMyDog" and "Major Major Major Major" for the beta work. Check their stories as they are good!**

**\- Frank**

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**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Prologue: The New Tale of The Illusion Killer Boy: _The_Imagine-Breaker_**

**PART 1**

"White… yes… it was white. The ceiling was white. Who would have thought…?"

A certain spiky-haired boy was lying on the ground with a surprised expression painted on his face. It seemed his sleep was interrupted by the hit he received when he fell from his bed. That weird dream must have been the reason for it, but he just decided to shrug it off. His head hurt like hell, though.

"Now I'm being silly," The boy mumbled to himself as he slowly stood up. He rubbed the affected part of his head and looked around his dorm room.

It was rather spacious, at least for a student like him. All the necessary accommodations were present: A one-person bed, a central coffee table, and a little kitchenette. Adjacent to it was the door that led to the laundry room and bathroom. He also had some bookshelves on the opposite side of his bed with a TV on top of a stout wooden stand.

The first rays of the rising sun began to enter through the curtains covering the balcony's glass door.

"What time is it?" The boy glanced at the wall in front of him hoping to clear that doubt, only to remember that he accidentally broke the only clock he had two days ago when he stupidly tried to play with a basketball inside his dorm. Fortunately, that was the only thing damaged.

The young boy sighed and grabbed his cell from the nearest shelf, opening it.

"5:58, huh? I guess I can take a walk before heading to school."

He opened the curtains to finally let the sun envelop the room and headed to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, taking a quick shower, and preparing his bento, the boy quickly dressed himself and grabbed all the stuff needed for today's class, putting them in his book bag. Wearing his school uniform and his favorite orange T-shirt underneath it, the young student walked to the entrance door.

"Let's make this day a good one, Kamijou-san," The spiky-haired boy said as he smiled playfully to himself. Even the unfortunate events that tended to happen in his daily life were not going to stop him from enjoying his youth.

Kamijou opened the door and walked outside his dorm, a confident smile spread on his face; one that quickly disappeared a few seconds later when he tripped on a tin can and fell to the ground. All the books and pencils from his book bag rolled away, spreading through the passageway.

"Fukou da…"

As always, misfortune got on his way.

**PART 2**

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Song 01

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The sun shone brightly upon **Academy City**. A city filled with educational facilities, research laboratories, and the like; all of them with one purpose: The development of psychic powers and advanced technology. As such, Academy City was considered to be the most advanced city in the world, with technology as much as 30 years ahead of the rest of the globe.

The city was composed of 23 districts, each one having a different purpose.

Among the most important districts within the city, there was **District 7**, filled with middle and high schools, hospitals, boarding houses, and dormitories, one of them occupied by a certain unfortunate student.

Said unfortunate student walked down an open street as he observed the tall distant buildings that covered the north side of the city. The boy presumed those belonged to **district 1**, where most of the city's administration was located.

Kamijou reached the corner of the block and stopped, turning his head to the left.

He did not mean to stare but he could not avoid watching the three girls that overtook him, joining the street on his right side. Kamijou was impressed. They were hot.

As many guys his age, he could appreciate the beauty of the opposite sex, although that was a just secondary for him. No matter how delicious an apple looked, if rotten inside, it would be horrible; and he applied this in his taste for women. Kamijou would never accept being attracted to a girl he didn't know or someone that could be considered as evil; but at the least, he would accept her beauty as a fact.

The girl in the middle had long black hair and a notorious forehead, the one at her left side had short wavy light-brown hair and the last one dark-bluish long hair. While they were all well-endowed, the one in the middle stood out in particular to the hormonal Kamijou.

"Wait… that uniform… where have I seen it?" Kamijou asked himself. "Maybe… maybe I should go that way."

It was still early, so a little detour wouldn't really affect his schedule. Actually, he wanted to take another route to the school today. He was looking for something different, so why not this? His misfortune followed him whenever he went; in the end, the chosen route would make no difference. It would take longer without any doubt, but he had the time.

Kamijou decided he would take the same path as them, for a little change in his monotonous, yet troublesome life. He started walking again and soon reached the trio, who seemed to be discussing serious matters. He paid their discussion no mind and slowed his pace, not wanting to stumble upon them.

But as Kamijou continued down the street, he did manage to hear the word 'exams' and his positive disposition for the day collapsed.

_(It is exam time, isn't it…?)_ Kamijou's brow furrowed as he remembered the reason for his lack of sleep in the past few days.

"Exams… great…"

It was not like he was really worried about them. Kamijou usually had low but acceptable grades so the exams weren't the real the problem. What actually bothered him was the **Power Curriculum Program **itself.

If Academy City's goal was the development of physic powers and technology, the first one being the main reason for it's establishment, then the latter needed to achieve the first goal. The Power Curriculum Program was the result of intensive research, designed to unlock a student's potential in gaining, controlling, and improving super natural abilities. Any student that had gone through it was given a new label: **Esper**.

These espers were ranked from **level 0** to **level 5**, depending on the progress of the student in the program. While most espers usually began at **level 1** and improved becoming higher ranked espers, there were those that were **level 0**.

Level 0 espers were a majority in Academy City, being a 60% of the student populace. These espers were people that had weak powers, or did not show any sign of having one. Although they still had the potential to unlock them, it seemed very unlikely to happen and most failed the program.

The spiky-haired boy by the name of **Kamijou Touma** was one of those said level 0 espers, who always failed the program. The remedial classes and tests he was forced into as a result had less effect on him than most, since he was a bit different. He possessed an ability despite being a **Zero**; one that couldn't be detected or measured, one that was unique and most likely the bane of all others.

It was called the '**Imagine Breaker**'.

This power resided entirely in his right hand. By his understanding of it, it allowed him to negate other espers abilities and completely neutralize them. He'd had plenty opportunity to test it, in the many troubles he found himself caught up in.

Kamijou Touma was the kind of guy who couldn't stand anyone that used his/her powers to hurt people. He couldn't even stand seeing anyone getting hurt, often leading him into trouble for the sake of the helpless and innocent. This was despite the irony that he himself often became the one most needing the help.

Kamijou wasn't sure why he had this ability, but he couldn't help himself from complaining about it. This hand could negate supernatural powers, but it also negated the blessings of god. All the good fortune that should have made his life better never arrived, and the result was an endless stream of bad luck that he had endured since he was born.

_(The child of misfortune…)_

There were many reasons on why he moved to Academy city, but they weren't pleasant memories. But he recalled the day he was supposed to move to the city, and his impression that his misfortune was trying to stop him.

_(Geez…) _He could remember the girl with long dark blue hair, asking him to get her cat from the roof of her house. He accepted, despite the taxi idling, waiting to take him to the airport. Kamijou could just have ignored the pleas of the little girl, but he didn't. After all, who would have thought that agreeing to help her would have caused him to miss his plane?

**Flashback:**

Kamijou climbed the tree closest to the tall house and jumped from one of the thick branches to the roof. After examining his surroundings, he quickly made his way to the scared cat that strangely enough, had blue fur, but only managed to grab it after chasing it through the roof for 5 minutes or more. When he headed back to the thick branch of the tall tree, a white cat with a dress appeared in the yard of the next house, causing the one he was holding to react and jump from his embrace. He lost his balance from its sudden movement and tumbled to the ground below.

Kamijou woke three days later in a hospital and only managed to take the plane to AC four days after that.

**End of Flashback**

But finally, he arrived to a place where he thought he could live 'peacefully'.

Although his misfortune would follow him all the way to the city of science, here no one would blame him, wouldn't spread superstitions about a child that only brought chaos. This city was the perfect place to start anew and he was grateful for the chance.

"What am I thinking now? Geez… this is not the time," Kamijou closed his eyes and breathed deeply before resuming his study of the girls walking in front of him.

The trio whispered indecipherable words, glancing back at him. Kamijou wondered what they were talking about now. Not much time passed when they suddenly stopped on their tracks and turned towards him.

"Huh?" Was the only thing that came out of Kamijou's mouth at the sudden attention.

"Please, could you stop stalking us?" The girl in the middle spoke as she covered the lower part of her face with a green fan.

Kamijou stared at the girl with the fan. She, like the other two, was wearing a school uniform seemingly composed of a short-sleeved… shirt… under a light brown vest and a really, REALLY short dark tan skirt... not that he minded that.

"Hmph! This is what we get for going for a walk out of the school grounds," The girl with the fan looked offended, even her tone showed her annoyance.

"W-what? What are you talking about? I'm not stalking you."

"W-well… I think you began to follow us when we passed behind you in that corner. It seemed you were going up the street when you abruptly began to walk behind us, so…" The girl with dark-bluish hair explained, her voice trailing off when Kamijou directed his eyes towards her.

"Don't try to deny it! Those perverted eyes of yours are proof enough!" The black-haired girl spoke with a strong voice. "I suggest that you stop at once before I call Judgment."

"Hey! I'm not doing anything!" He tried to defend himself, but he was pretty damn sure it all would be useless, "…and I don't have perverted eyes."

The third girl stood in front of him and locked stares with him. Kamijou couldn't help but to step back and look away.

_(What's with this girl?)_

"Maybe he wasn't stalking us, Kongou-san. He doesn't look like a bad guy," Kamijou was startled by her comment, this girl was defending him and that honestly, made him kind of happy.

"Wannai-san! He IS stalking us; have you forgotten how he had stared at us just some minutes ago?"

Kamijou sighed, he did stare at them but it was not like he was the only one doing so, other male students were as guilty as him.

"Liste-," Kamijou's eyes widened when he noticed the emblem that was located in the vest of the girl closest to him. He recognised it, finally placing their familiar outfits. It was a discovery he would rather not have made.

"Where are you looking at, you pervert!?" The girl called Kongou shouted, catching him off guard and making his book bag slip from his grip. He almost yelped, but he managed to choke it back.

"S-sorry! I wasn't…" Kamijou averted his gaze to the ground and sighed again. "You are from the Tokiwadai Middle School, right?"

"Yes, we are. Why?" Asked Wannai.

"I see. I… just wanted to confirm somethi-"

"Don't try to change the subject! You were looking at Wannai-san's chest, I saw you! Don't you have any shame?" Kongou crossed her arms, looking even more disgusted.

"I was just looking at the emblem in her ves—"

"Don't try to make excuses," Kongou interrupted him again and grabbed Wannai by the arm, pulling her behind her. "I will not let you do anything to my friends."

A moment passed as both Kamijou and the girl accusing him looked at each other in the eyes… suddenly, Kamijou smiled.

"It's good to see people protecting their friends like you do," He briefly glanced at the girl with wavy-hair, who turned red, "Even if I was a real stalker, which I'm not, you confronted me to protect them and I admire that."

The three girls blinked. Apparently, they did not expect such an answer, but Kamijou truly felt that way.

"W-we-well, of course I do! I-I would do anything to keep them safe from the likes of you. Hmph!" The black-haired Tokiwadai student responded hastily and turned her head to the side.

"Kongou-san…" Both girls at her side said in unison.

Kamijou thought for a second that he saw her cheeks getting red, but she covered them quickly with the fan. It might have just been his imagination.

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Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Picture 01

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"Ok, fine… Sorry for whatever I did. This poor Kamijou-san will just go away," The unfortunate boy said as he scratched the back of his head. The girls were too much trouble, not to mention that they belonged to that certain school he would rather avoid, "There is no need to call Judgment."

"Fine, but let me clarify something before you go. I was only going to call Judgment after dealing with you myself," A smug smile was painted on Kongou's face, irritating him more than a bit.

"…Is that so? Huh…" Kamijou said with a now equal confident expression, "I wouldn't be so sure."

The girl with short-wavy hair seemed impressed by his response; on the other side, the forehead-girl looked pissed and was glaring daggers at him.

"What!? Do you know who you are talking to?" A heavy atmosphere formed around them, and her intense stare made Kamijou question for a moment his own actions.

"I don't know but I guess-"

"I'm Kongou Mitsuko! One of the most promising espers in Academy City! I'm a level 4 esper if you must know," She began to laugh for some reason." I bet you are just a low level esper, maybe even a useless level 0 for all I know."

"K-Kongou-san! Don't talk like that…" The blue-haired girl said with a weak voice.

Kamijou's tired eyes gained a piercing light, but Kongou seemed to ignore them.

"Y-yeah… that was a bit uncalled for…" Wannai looked very troubled for the sudden change of environment. She glanced at him and turned to her friend, "We should go, Kongou-san…"

"To think I wasted my time with you," Kongou finally said.

Kamijou closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, struggling to contain his anger. Her cruel words stewed inside him, but he took a breath, forcing himself to calm down before he did anything he would regret.

"I may have misjudged you," Kamijou's expression became deathly serious. "You're just one of those spoiled ojous that always look down on people. You think that being a higher level esper makes you better?"

"No, what I meant-"

Kamijou spoke in a stronger voice, holding an imposing power.

"Level 0 espers work hard to acquire their abilities and improve, it's not their fault that they lack the advantage most of you have when beginning at level 1 or more," He took a step forward, making her flinch slightly. "Do you have any idea of how impotent most of them feel when they can't even become a level 1 esper?"

"I-I…I never said anything of the sort…" Her eyes fell to the ground, unable to meet his hard gaze.

By her reaction, she at least seemed regretful of what she just said. No one spoke a word for a moment.

Kamijou's face softened, he had now a bored look on his face.

"I just can't stand people like you," The spiky-haired guy retorted as he walked past them, hiding his persisting annoyance. "Think before you talk, Forehead-san."

He knew it was uncalled for, but Kamijou couldn't help it. He didn't want to call her by her name, so the only thing that came to his head to refer to her was…

"F-Forehead…!?" She sounded surprised but he just ignored her and continued to walk away. He could care less if that nick offended her. 'Conceited brats' and 'irritation' usually came as a package deal, and Kongou proved that again.

Kamijou felt a deathly glare being directed at the back of his head and a cold sweat ran down his spine. A strong wind pushed him from behind but he held his balance; he didn't dare to look back at the source of the unexpected gust… until his senses screamed danger.

Quick reflexes allowed him to duck just in time as a trash can passed over his head at incredible speed, impacting the mailbox behind him with a crash.

"Kongou-san! Calm down!" The girl with blue hair screamed loudly. She sounded scared and Kamijou didn't wonder why. That girl did something to throw that trash can with such force enough to twist metal to ruin. He could have died easily.

Kamijou stood up and got ready for her next move. He could almost feel the wind concentrating around her fan. The other two girls stepped back unable to do anything to stop the incoming fight.

_(Me and my mouth. Once again, I've managed to pick a fight with a powerful and violent ojou-sama.)_

"Li-listen! I'm sorry! I was just joking," Kamijou tried to apologise though his voice lacked sincerity. "Are you the kind that can't take jokes? Resorting to violence is what Tokiwadai teach to their students?"

"Silence! My name is Kongou Mitsuko! How dare you call me like that!?" She was really angry, too angry to calm down. Kamijou could only wonder if she had some kind of trauma in the past concerning her forehead. Maybe other people made fun of her regarding the subject, noting it was an easy target like he just did.

"You know, I could have died with that," Kamijou cleared his throat. It was kind of funny to think how much things could change in a matter of seconds. He was just scolding her one minute ago and now he was apologizing for something ridiculous, "But I… eh… I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry."

"He is apologizing, Kongou-san. Please forgive him and let him go, everyone is looking at us," Wannai tried to convince her but Kamijou suspected she would not leave him off the hook so easily. Ojous were just too prideful for that.

But unexpectedly, Kongou's glare lost its intensity and the gust of wind surrounding her fan ceased. She looked around her, finally noticing the stares they were drawing, and her eyes widened at the realization. She then turned her face to Kamijou, the scary expression on her face finally gone.

"I…" She hesitated. "…accept your apology…" The esper level-4 spoke with a nervous voice, eyes darting.

"Huh? Really…?" _(That was unexpectedly fast…)_

"Yes…" Kongou closed her eyes, her fan covering her mouth again, "As long as you understand that you did wrong."

Kamijou was surprised and relieved at the same time. The girl in front of him that almost killed him apparently returned to her ojou-sama self.

"Your name," Kongou pointed her fan at him, staring at him intently.

"What?" Kamijou blinked.

"I said 'your name'. Tell me your name," Her tone became a bit bossy, the usual in her kind.

"Why?" Kamijou inquired, gaze narrowing, "Is it… necessary?"

Kongou glared at him, confirming that she was serious about it. Kamijou wanted to leave and just forget about this absurd event. If she learned his name, he strongly suspected it would end up bringing him misfortune in the future.

However, considering her spoiled and stuck-up personality, Kamijou concluded that failing to comply would only make things worse in the present.

"Kamijou Touma, that's my name…" He answered with a sigh.

"I see…" Kongou turned around and walked to her fellow classmates, "I will remember your name so you better remember mine. Let's go Wannai-san, Awatsuki-san."

"Y-yes!" The girl with the name of Awatsuki quickly followed after her.

"K-Kamijou-san…?" Wannai called out with a shaky voice as he directed his face to her, "You… you are a level 0, right?"

In that moment, Kongou stopped but did not turn around.

"Yeah… A misfortunate one, if I may add," He answered easily, a sincere smile spread across his lips.

Wannai stared at him for a couple of seconds with a neutral expression, which was replaced by an odd smile. She then walked to her friends, the boy looking at her leaving form, startled.

The Tokiwadai group left, returning the direction they came.

That aside, Kamijou was thoughtful. The smile this girl called **Wannai** gave him made Kamijou feel a little embarrassed, but also left him with an uneasy feeling. That was the first time he saw someone looking at him the way she did.

"Argh!" He grabbed his head and began to scratch it like a mad man, "Stop thinking weird stuff, you idiot! You probably imagined that."

But no matter what he said to himself, the spiky-haired boy was intrigued. What was with that smile? It showed kindness, but there was something else hidden within it…

His thoughts were interrupted by a blue armoured vehicle, passing at great speed down the street beside him. He was relieved to see that truck didn't stop: after all, a mailbox had just been destroyed in what was probably a crime. Normally they would stop for something like this, because Kamijou recognized the emblem located at upper left side of it.

"Anti-skill? There must be some trouble around."

**Anti-skill** was Academy City's police force. From what he knew, it consisted of normal, non-esper adults. He had seen them a couple of times taking down thugs and troublesome espers with non-lethal weapons, admiring their dedication and skill.

Any kind of crime committed inside the walls that surrounded the city was handled by Anti-skill. The more petty complaints were dealt with by **Judgment**, the student based disciplinary committee of espers that he had just been threatened with. Together, these two organizations maintained order in Academy City.

"I hope they can handle whatever it is that's happening."

Kamijou took his cell from one of the pockets of his pants and opened it. He eyed the upper right corner of the screen and then pocketed it back.

"6:43. I guess I still have some time to kill."

The young student approached the destroyed mailbox and examined it as other students got closer to take a look as well. It was totally deformed due to the impact with the trash can, and would definitely need to be replaced.

_(Damn… That girl is crazy. What the hell she did? Was she actually controlling the wind?)_

**Kongou Mitsuko** was indeed a high level esper with amazing abilities. The proof of what she was capable of doing laid right in front of him after all. She was a dangerous esper to mess with and he just made her mad a moment ago. The usual rotten luck of his was of course the guilty.

More people began to gather around him, so he quickly made his way out of the crowd and ran in the opposite direction of the Tokiwadai trio. He needed to get out of there before the authorities noticed the damaged property and inevitably blamed him for it.

Kamijou ran to an alley located in the next block between two tall buildings and disappeared in its darkness.

**PART 3**

The temperature rose with the sun, and it was quickly becoming quite bothersome for the student sitting on a certain park's central bench. It was only 7:01 but the guy with the mysterious power called Imagine Breaker was already resting, tired after the race to avoid trouble.

"Damn! This place is too hot," Kamijou commented, yet he still didn't move from where he was sitting. He was kind of tired and his laziness had control over his body at the moment.

So he chose to stay like this despite his complaint, observing his surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening around the park, just the usual group of students passing by, two cylindrical colored-beige cleaning robots taking care of any trash on the ground, and then…

Kamijou stared at a girl coming from the left, eyes filling with interest. She had long black hair pinned with a small flower accessory, and was wearing a school uniform composed of a sailor shirt, a red-colored scarf, and a dark blue medium-sized skirt.

But what caught his attention was the bag she was carrying. Oversized compared to her, it seemed to be stuffed with food, most notably three long loafs of french bread that protruded out. The girl sported a prideful smile for some reason as she skipped lightly in the dawn.

"Good morning!" She noticed Kamijou on the bench and spoke cheerfully to him as she passed by.

"G-good morning…" He replied with uncertainty on his tone.

The girl smiled brightly at him as she walked away, leaving Kamijou thoughtful for the second time during this day. Another girl had made him a bit nervous.

"Well, that was something… nice… but that much food at this hour?"

The young boy stood up, grabbing his book bag.

"Well, this Kamijou-san has nothing do around here," The boy turned his head to the direction that would take him to the school. He hoped nothing more like his meeting with those ojou chicks would occur, at least not for this day.

With that, he left this location.

**PART 4**

Kamijou finallly stood before the main entrance of his school. Located on a hill, to reach it was always tiresome. Only after climbing an inclination and several more steps could one reach the school's entrance, making an already demoralizing journey ever more difficult.

Kamijou Touma, however, had a good stamina from the countless times he had to run to escape from trouble. It was only normal that he would not be bothered by a little climbing.

"Geez… it's still early," The pointy-haired teen commented, as it was only 7:23. Since classes started at 8:45, while entrance onto the school's grounds was not allowed until 8:30, he was more or less one hour early.

"This early? You? Kamijou…?"

A voice came from behind, which he recognized immediately. That voice belonged to the only student in his school that could intimidate him. It did not take long for Kamijou to decide his next course of action.

The boy quickly spun around, raising both hands in a protective manner.

The person was actually a girl from his class, named **Fukiyose Seiri**. She had long black hair, a pretty face, and a well-endowed body although she lacked the sex appeal that she would otherwise have. To Kamijou, she was just a girl with the strength of a monster. Fukiyose wore the uniform to his school with prim perfection, a dark blue sailor fuku and a pleated skirt of the same color.

Kamijou looked at her stoically before clapping both hands together, tilting his head forward.

"I'm sorry, Fukiyose-sama! I am very sorry for anything I might have done!"

The girl in question raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms. Despite this not being the moment, Kamijou couldn't avoid glancing occasionally at her breasts. No matter how hidden they were underneath her plain clothing or how worried he was of divine retribution, they remained as objects of engaging interest.

"What are you doing!?" Her voice had an edge that clearly displayed her growing irritation.

"Well… I'm apologizing, Fukiyose-sama," He made a dumb expression. "Does it look like anything else?"

"Don't call me Fukiyose-sama or I'm going to hit you," Fukiyose sighed, hands on her hip. "Why do you keep apologizing?"

Kamijou blinked twice, realizing he was acting like an idiot again.

"Well… I don't really know."

Fukiyose sighed, putting both hands on her hip. She looked annoyed, which he knew couldn't be good. Several times she had knocked him unconscious when in this state, so he had come to be very wary of her.

"Think harder," She glared at him. "And then explain it to me."

Kamijou didn't usually give much thought to his actions, so he folded his arms and reasoned a bit. He guessed that saying what he felt would do, and so for lack of a better option he went with his gut.

"I… thought you were going to hit me, like you always do," He answered sincerely.

"Was there a reason to do so?"

"…No…?"

The big-breasted girl sighed as the boy waited for her next words.

"Listen Kamijou, I don't hit you because I want to, I only do so because you act like an irresponsible, hopeless, idiotic, perverted, easygoing, lazy ass!"

"Do I act like that all the time?" He raised an eyebrow, "You punch me almost every day and even I can tell that I act reasonably… sometimes…"

"Sometimes it's you causing the ruckus, other times your friends are doing it, but you always butt in regardless, and it happens every day!" Fukiyose said with a scolding tone. Kamijou had to accept that she had a point, yet could only shrug his shoulders in response. "Anyway, don't just stand there, Kamijou. Let's just walk around and wait for class."

Kamijou opened his mouth to respond, but his voice was lost within the noise of an explosion that just occurred a few blocks away. Both students turned in the direction of a thick plume of rising smoke.

"What was that?" The girl asked, yet got no response.

For without wasting any time, Kamijou was already gone, running towards the site of the blast. His classmate called out for him but he ignored her and focused instead on what his heart was saying.

_(Damn! People might be hurt, I have to help.)_

Kamijou ran as fast as he could.

**PART 5**

Fire erupted from the upper windows of the burning building in front of Kamijou. People were running chaotically from its entrance and screams could be heard all around him. Some officials were helping the people affected by the smoke, choking as they fled the scene.

"How many are left in the final floor?" One of the officers asked to a person dressed with a long white coat.

The man coughed twice before directing his attention to the officer that talked to him. Kamijou got closer to them; he had to know what was going on.

"There are like 20 people or more in the last floor. We need to get them out of there now!" With Kamijou being close enough to hear them, noticing the victim was likely a scientist of some kind.

"You don't have to tell us that, sir. Firemen units are on their way to deal with the fire and we are evacuating all the people we can," The officer was clearly troubled, face showing unease. "The only setback is that we can't actually get to the top. The chemicals in one of the labs created an explosion, destroying the elevator as well as the stairs that lead to it. But we-"

"What started the fire? What was that explosion?" The spiky-haired boy could not hold back anymore and stepped forward to them, eyes sharp.

The officer looked at the teen with a startled expression, "What is a student doing here?" He asked severely, "Can't you see this area is now off limits?"

"I suppose, but still… I want to know what's happening," His eyes glanced at the burning building, before returning to the officer. "Who did this?"

"No more questions. You need to leave, now. Officer Kishimoto here will lead you to safety," Said official motioned for the man with the coat and the student to follow him while the first headed to the building's entrance.

"What's gonna happen to the people in the last floor?" Kamijou asked, truly concerned about their safety. The scientist looked expectant at the response as well.

"Two rescue choppers should be arriving soon. We are going to get them out of there from the roof," Kishimoto informed. "Don't worry, no one is going to die today."

The officer's smile relieved both Kamijou and the scientist. Everything was under control and Kamijou was grateful for that. Some seconds passed before Kishimoto's walkie-talkie made a sound, drawing his attention. The officer took the device to his ear and spoke.

"What is it…? She is here? …Alright, this will make things easier," The man turned off the device and smirked. "Good news! The choppers are not going to be needed; an esper from Judgment with teleporting abilities will take them out."

"Thank goodness…" The man with the coat said weakly.

Ambulances and more Anti-skills vans pulled up to the incident as paramedics began to attend to people injured with burns. To Kamijou's relief, none of them looked life-threatening.

It seemed he really was worried for nothing.

The official Kishimoto left both Kamijou and the scientist near an ambulance. Soon, paramedics brought to them two breathing masks, the coated man accepted it but Kamijou shook his head.

"I'm fine. Use it one someone else," The paramedic gave him an odd look and nodded.

"I guess you weren't inside then. Stay here though, I need to check on everyone else," The man with a dark blue uniform said before he left them.

Kamijou nodded. To see someone so focused on helping those in need always gave him hope for this messed-up world. Paramedics, firemen, officers and all who risked their lives to save people were always an inspiration to him. They were **heroes**, with or without powers.

Kamijou directed his eyes to the man dressed as a scientist, who had taken a seat on the ambulance's back. He removed his mask to cough a couple of times before putting it back again. The teen was relieved that everyone was being evacuated, but his mind still held some worry.

"You work in there, mister?" Kamijou addressed the man, who in turn did not bother to look back at him.

"Yes, but what is it to you?" His response was rude but Kamijou didn't care. He had questions and he was not going to let a bad attitude stop him from getting answers.

"That explosion… how did it happen?"

The man remained silent, only breathing deeply into the mask. Kamijou waited patiently for his answer but none came, so he asked again.

"Mister, wha-"

Kamijou was cut off when the man finally spoke, stares looking. The man's face showed tired eyes and a dark expression.

"Shouldn't you be in school at this hour?" The man stood up, leaving the breathing mask on the ambulance. "Don't tell me you are one of those delinquents that miss school classes intentionally."

"It's still kind of early… and I… I have an uncle that works in that building so… I was worried, I haven't seen him yet," Kamijou hated to lie, but now that this man was dismissing him, it seemed the only way he could get some answers about what caused this mess.

"Hmm… I see. Your uncle must be one of those in the last floor, but you'll just have to wait," The scientist-looking man averted his eyes to the top of the building. "My wife works here, too… in the last floor."

Kamijou blinked twice in realization. No wonder this man was so moody: who wouldn't be worried about his wife? He felt a momentary pang of guilt for misleading someone so obviously upset, but having come so far, he just couldn't back down now.

"That explosion was accidental, right?" The young student asked, hoping for the affirmative answer that never came.

"Accidental? This was not accidental!" The man's voice became a bit louder, "Those bastards did it!" With greeted teeth, he answered, looking obviously pissed.

Though hearing it aloud was disheartening, Kamijou had suspected as much, knowing well that accidents were very uncommon in AC. With such advanced technology, the security measures in labs and places alike were always applied to the perfection. Only people with ill intentions could have caused this.

"Why did they do this? Who were they?"

"What, now you're a cop and a delinquent?" The man led out an exasperated sigh.

"I need to know," Kamijou's serious gaze bore in the startled man, who finally cracked under its pressure.

"…I don't know… they were using masks…" He informed hesitantly, "They stole some components from the labs; one of them was an esper with pyrokinetic abilities, so you can imagine who caused that explosion."

"Where are they?" Kamijou pushed, "Were they caught?"

"I think Anti-skill caught two of them with the help of a student, the others esca…ped…" His eyes widened, the man raised his hand and pointed his index behind Kamijou, "That car! That's the car I saw in the parking lot! It's theirs, it must be!"

The man ran to the closest official to deliver his warning as Kamijou spun around. Two Anti-skill trucks moved quickly, and the chase was on.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Song 02

* * *

The boy wasted only a second before running to where the vehicle was heading. He was acting on instinct, not really thinking what he was doing. He knew he could do nothing to stop them but he could not ignore that more people might get hurt without him. He veered away from the street to an alley, knowing full well he couldn't catch the speeding vehicle. But Kamijou's constant escapes from trouble gave him an impeccable memory of Academy City's shortcuts and the chance to guess where he thought they were going.

The odds of guessing right were low, but he determined to at least try. Kamijou ran with all his might, focused only on his destination when a loud noise sounded ahead and to the left.

"Damn!" Kamijou cursed as he entered another alley, suspecting with dread the source of the bang. He turned left at the first chance and continued down the new path.

Just before reaching the end of the alley, Kamijou heard another explosion. Back out in the streets he ran across the block and noticed smoke coming from an Anti-skill truck as well as the vehicle the robbers had crashed into an unsuspecting bus. All there were crippled, but the most of the criminals were nowhere to be found.

Kamijou wasted no time and pressed on, avoiding the students in his way. Most of them were visibly stunned, not moving from where they stood, while others ran like hell to escape the danger.

"The driver is unconscious, go after the other four!" A member of Anti-skill shouted to a group of six heavily armed colleagues. He realized with surprise they all had rifles and grenades attached to their belts: it was the first time he had seen them carrying such weaponry.

The Anti-skill unit moved without delay.

Kamijou scanned his surroundings, sighing in relief that no one was hurt. The bus's passengers were safe despite the crash and all Anti-skill members seemed fine.

He could not tell the same for the thug's driver.

At this point, there was only one way these bastards could have gone to escape, and that was through **District 10**'s maze of abandoned building that ended in the only cemetery in AC. Kamijou moved forward.

"Hey you!" A voice called, making Kamijou stop on his tracks as he observed a member of Anti-skill approaching. "You shouldn't be here, it's dangerous!"

_(Oh shit! I don't need this now!)_

Kamijou sprinted to the left, quickly passing between the abandoned vehicle and the truck.

"W-wait! You can't go that way!" The same voice shouted.

_(That voice… was that…?)_

It was then that he recalled what he was doing and discarded the thought; he had no time to be distracted by nonsense. Kamijou suspected he was going to be followed by one or more of the law enforcement agents, so he entered another dark alley to lose them.

One question popped out in his head in the moment he entered the alley.

Why was he even doing this? Those guys crashed their car and now they were escaping on foot with a team of armed Anti-skill units hot on their heels. Was he necessary? He was just an unfortunate student with a strange power in his right hand. He had no obligation to get involved, and yet he could not just stand by while they threatened innocent people.

He just couldn't… and he wouldn't.

With new found determination, Kamijou Touma took his first step towards the unknown.

**PART 6**

A plan was what Kamijou needed when he finally found the group that attacked that building. He was observing them carefully while hiding behind some crates. There were four of them and from what he could see, they were arguing loudly.

All of them were of short stature with the exception of a man leaning casually against a wall. They all had the same outfit composed of black pants and dark brown jackets, as well as those black masks the scientist mentioned.

"That was not supposed to happen!" Suddenly one of them shouted again, making another in front of him visibly flinch.

"I know! These Anti-skill bastards are a pain in the ass! What the fuck are we going to do now?"

The man leaning to the wall stood still, crossing his arms. "There's no use bitching now," He said drily, "Let's just keep moving."

The other three nodded and followed him into a street on their left. The abandoned tall buildings on this part of the city shadowed all light, making the area a suitable place for thugs to hide or use as a getaway. A certain spiky-haired boy knew this area quite well, several times using these dark streets and alleys to escape from gangs. He could guess where they were heading.

_(Hmm… That way is… Heh… This could work…)_

Kamijou smirked.

"I'm a crazy ass, damnit!" He ventured a short distance before taking an obscure street; he knew very well it would take him to that narrow alley where he could intercept his quarry.

The boy knew equally well that he was putting life in danger by doing this, but Anti-skill was nowhere to be seen and just letting the criminals go was not an option. He had to do something to stop them, and he would do it no matter what.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Though panting lightly, Kamijou kept up his pace, keeping track on the thugs from a safe distance. In one hand he grasped the lid of a trashcan that he found on the way, it's metal top round, large, and surprisingly easy to handle as a shield. It must have been made of some resilient Academy City's alloy, to look so sturdy despite its thinness.

_(Now if only this was imbued with godly heroic power…)_

Kamijou had never fought an esper that controlled pyrokinesis before. His makeshift defense could increase his chances of surviving, in case his right hand was unable to negate that power.

Having finally reached an intersection that connected three narrow alleys together, Kamijou realized that this was the perfect place for a surprise attack. Even if it was four against one, he had the advantage in a dark, constricted place like this.

He noticed something moving far away down the alley. As he suspected, the thugs were quickly coming, and all Kamijou had to do was wait patiently for them to arrive. He cloaked himself behind a wall and closed his eyes, focusing on the echoing sounds.

A minute passed, and with each passing second their steps echoed louder and louder. The moment of the confrontation was at hand and Kamijou found himself nervous. Yet it was not the time to have second thoughts, and he could not back out now even if he wanted to.

The sound of a step past the corner where he hid was the signal to act.

Kamijou turned to his right and readied his fist, launching it forward to slam into the face of the first passing thug. The delinquent fell to the ground and remained still.

"What the-" The second man registered in disbelieving surprise as Kamijou continued his assault. The unfortunate boy had misjudged the distance between him and the enemy, giving the man time to level a gun. But Kamijou didn't hesitate, only pressing on.

Putting his new acquired 'shield' in front of him, Kamijou deflected the incoming gun shots, each bullet impacting with the piece of metal with a clang.

The teen reached the man in mere seconds and tackled him to the ground, knocking the two behind him down like a tangled mess of dominos. The gun fell from the thug's grip and Kamijou quickly grabbed it. Two hits with the pistol's grip into the thug's face managed to put the second out of the fight.

Kamijou stood on his feet, steadily aiming the pistol at the remaining thieves. He blinked in mild surprise upon seeing their faces, guessing these two must have removed their masks at some point before they came here. The taller man had long black hair tied back firmly while the one behind him had short dark red hair and was wearing a black bandana. They were unexpectedly young.

"Who the fuck are you?" The closer man asked aggressively, though in contrast Kamijou remained impassively silent. A minute passed without any sort of response coming from him as the thug gazed at him carefully. "Wait, you've gotta be just a student… one of those shitty Judgment agents."

"It doesn't matter who am I, you have hurt people and I won't let you go away with it," Kamijou said menacingly, giving one step forward. "That's all you need to know."

Both thugs gritted their teeth, and Kamijou knew why. He had the control of the situation.

"We shouldn't have let that dickhead bring a pistol. Now we're screwed," The thug behind the tall one commented, clearly annoyed.

Unexpectedly for the thugs, the young boy aimed the handgun to the sky and loaded every last bullet in the clip. Some seconds passed before they reacted.

"Why would you... That pistol was your only chance of taking us down, and you just wasted it," The tall man smirked darkly, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"I would never shoot someone, so no," Kamijou replied easily. "I never even expected a gun in the first place when I decided to chase after you."

"Really?" A subtle tone of incredulity adorned the thug's voice, "Well, that shield you used makes me think otherwise, but it doesn't matter now."

"I actually was planning to use it against the esper in your group," Kamijou replied uncaringly.

For being in such a dangerous situation, Kamijou felt oddly calm, if only because everything was going smoothly. However, the taller man of the two began to laugh.

"You know we have an esper among us? You really have been following us," The man turned to his companion with a twisted expression. "You heard? He was going to use that against you, can you believe it?"

_(This guy…)_

This was the second time in this day he had misjudged someone. The man that seemed to be their leader looked level-headed when Kamijou saw him a while ago. Now he was acting like a psycho. At least he now knew who the esper among those two was.

"Now that you have mentioned it, I guess it won't work then," Kamijou threw the piece of metal to the ground.

"What a dumbass. You really shouldn't have wasted the ammo of that pistol," The black-haired thug whispered, his voice taking on a creepy lilt.

"I haven't wasted it. The noise will help Anti-skill get here. Although your friend may have already done that, I was just making sure they could find their way here," Kamijou punctuated his bold plan by letting the gun slip from his grip, clattering to the ground.

Again, both thugs were shocked. If they were surprised by Kamijou's true plan, the teen was equally surprised it had worked so well.

It was only a matter of time now before the criminals would be caught, now. And they knew it.

"You bastard, piece of shit! I'll kill you!" The man in front of him roared, lunging towards him like some sort of wild animal.

Kamijou did not falter and moved to meet him head on. The crazy thug aimed a punch at his face, missing high as Kamijou ducked beneath and delivered an uppercut to his chin.

Kamijou wasn't done, though.

As the man stumbled backwards, Kamijou grabbed his jacket, pulling the thug towards him and spiked his knee right to the man's stomach, forcing the man's into a coughing fit. But he didn't fall, barely maintaining his balance, and the boy frowned.

_(I guess I can't hold back with this one.)_

The man knelt due to pain and his lack of breath, and Kamijou took full advantage, kicking his opponent square in the face. The blow knocked him to the left wall and blood sprayed in a messy arc along it and on the ground. He finally lay still, groaning weakly.

_(Three down, one more to go.)_

With this done, Kamijou gave one step back and readied himself for the final confrontation. To his surprise, the last thug was smiling.

"I gotta admit that was impressive," A voice echoed in the alleyway, "You took him out in just seconds, and all three of them in less than a minute."

"Why are you smiling? Isn't he your friend?" Kamijou questioned.

"Friend?" The last thug shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. "None of them are. I only did this for the money… although the girl you first punched was rather cute."

Kamijou's eyes widened, not expecting a girl in the group… _(Those damn masks… Maybe I shouldn't have used that much strength in the first hit…) _He turned around to see her body lying prone on the ground, and upon closer inspection could clearly recognize her slender build.

"You are good, I guess. You took us by surprise, planned an ambush in a place like this, and now I'm the only one left," The thug resumed the event, looking amused, "This is very troublesome, you know?"

"Troublesome is what you did in that building! People could have died!" Kamijou shouted furiously.

"Could have?" The red-haired esper blinked. "So no one died? Lame…"

He yawned, seeming rather bothered by that. Kamijou could not believe the words coming from this bastard's mouth; even a petty reason like causing a distraction would be understandable, but the lack of humanity his enemy seemed proud of was horrible to consider.

"Why?" Kamijou's voice was sharp.

"What can I say? I have this awesome ability, you know?" The redhead raised a hand as a tiny ball of fire materialized on it, "I'm just a level 2 and I can blow anything away with it! Imagine what I could do if I became a level 5! I would be like…"

That had crossed a line. Kamijou was really pissed, and though the irksome blabbering continued, his ears became deaf to the thug's senseless speech. In that instant his mind only held one thought.

He wanted to knock some sense into such a bankrupt world view.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Song 03

* * *

"You hold such power and yet you use it for that!?" He yelled angrily, "Who the fuck do you believe you are, lowlife!?" Kamijou step forward in fury, continuing his tirade, "Do you really think that you can do this kind of crap and get away with it?"

Kamijou glared at the thug who flinched under the intensity, retreating several steps back. His face registered fear for a second before he returned the stare, regaining his confidence.

"You are dead," The red-haired esper promised bluntly as the ball of fire in his hand expanded, its twin appearing in the other.

Kamijou expected it, but the concentrated sphere of fire remained menacing, illuminating the dismal alleyway.

The esper threw both balls of fire as one and Kamijou moved to meet them head on. He raised the hand that held the Imagine Breaker and prepared himself for impact.

It was at that moment that his bad luck presented itself in the form of a cold-tea can. Kamijou tripped on it, falling on his back abruptly. The balls of fire passed above him and impacted on the far wall, dispersing harmlessly and dissipating in the air.

Kamijou rose to his feet quickly and glanced at the unconscious girl; he was relieved to see her fine. For a moment he thought the fire could have spread to where she was.

"That's what I call luck," The esper thug commented as another ball of fire blazed in his hand. "Seriously… what were you thinking by going directly towards the fire, huh? You're nuts, dude, nuts."

"Maybe… yeah, maybe I'm crazy… but I can assure you I'm not lucky, not in the slightest," He smiled to himself as if recalling something before his gaze hardened again. "That's not going to stop me though."

To some, the narrow save his fall provided would have indeed been lucky, but the only thing that Kamijou got from this fall was the pain he now had in his back. There remained the chance that his hand could have failed to negate the fiery attack but he didn't even care now, he only wanted to hit the thug real hard.

"I have wasted too much time with you. I still have to deliver this, you know?" The fire esper said, eyeing the bag hanging from his shoulder.

Kamijou raised his right hand in front of him, feral eyes boring holes on his enemy, "This world doesn't need people that hurt others, much less those that only do it for entertainment. If you ever though for a mere second that you are just gonna walk away from this like nothing has ever happened…"

Kamijou formed a mighty fist and bellowed.

"Then I'll destroy that fucked-up illusion of yours!"

Kamijou sprinted towards him again as the pyro esper motioned his hand and threw a fire ball. This time, his right hand met with the esper's projectile, a high pitched sound rang out.

In that instant the fire in front of him just evaporated, like it never existed.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Picture 02

* * *

The boy with the Imagine Breaker smirked while the fire esper's eyes widened, the shocked expression on his face all Kamijou needed to see. This was the part he liked the most, the look his opponents sported upon seeing the power they depended much on simply disappear before their eyes. It would never get old, this feeling of humbling the cruel.

"What the fuck!?" His voice broke, but he still stood where he was. More fire balls blazed into life to be thrown at the spiky-haired boy coming for him but it was useless. Like the first one, they all disappeared upon reaching his mysterious hand.

"This…!? This is bullshit! Bulls-"

The thug's disrespectful words were cut off when Kamijou's fist impacted with his face, sending him backwards and onto the ground. Kamijou stood ready for a possible counterattack but it did not come, his one blow knocking the esper unconscious.

Kamijou scanned the area around him. The four thugs were lying on the ground; he had taken them out by himself. He had done it, despite his own doubts.

The young hero sighed and relaxed his body, glad it was over…

"All of them by yourself…? Amazing… but still pretty reckless."

Kamijou froze, a new voice came from behind him, and it was pretty close.

_(Was there another one?)_

Not wasting a moment, he turned around and delivered a punch to a new enemy, which was stopped with two hands.

"Hey, wait! Why are you attacking me?"

Kamijou held back from delivering another blow as he finally got a good view of the person that had startled him. It was a female Anti-skill officer wearing an armored uniform. Said woman had long dark-bluish hair tied into a ponytail.

"Y-Yo-Yomikawa-sensei?"

The Anti-skill member called **Yomikawa Aiho,** also was the PE teacher in Kamijou's school. He blinked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She stepped closer and observed him before a smile spread across her face.

"Aren't you from Komoe's class?" The busty woman asked.

_(Shit! Could this get worse?)_

"Well… I think I am…" Kamijou replied with a nervous tone, aware that his trouble was just beginning. A teacher from his school saw him brawling with thugs after all.

"You think?" Her gaze narrowed.

Kamijou looked away from her as his brain began to formulate a good excuse for what happened regarding the four unconscious persons on the ground. None came unfortunately.

"…Y-Yeah, I'm from Komoe-sensei's class…"

"Hmmm?" She made a humming sound, as if amused, "Are you hurt? I heard some gunshots…" The woman asked, her voice conveying a worried tone.

"I'm fine."

She stared at him for a minute, her eyes making her doubt clear.

"Are you sure?" Yomikawa asked as she motioned her face towards his. Her eyes were pretty but they still held fierceness, which made them very intimidating. He reflected inappropriately on the nice contrast it made.

"Yeah…"

Kamijou didn't move from where he was standing.

"If you don't mind…" Yomikawa eyed the space behind him with a raised brow.

Kamijou hurriedly nodded as he got the message, squeezing his body against the wall to give the woman enough space to pass. If nothing else, this narrow alley would give him yet another experience he would not forget in the days to come.

Yomikawa pressed her back to the opposite wall, slowly walking sideways. As she did so, her large breasts rubbed on Kamijou's chest. Though certainly awkward it also felt nice, even if they were safely protected behind armor. For her part, Yomikawa didn't show any sign of noticing the thoughts running through the youth's mind.

When the woman finally passed to the other side of the alley, much to Kamijou's disappointment, she stood there and observed the scene before her. The young boy shook his head slightly, mind returning back to reality as his worry rose. The woman's continuing silence only worsened his paranoia.

"You did manage to beat them all. Not bad, kid," Yomikawa finally turned her head to the side, her only visible eye focused on him. "Can I ask you something?"

"…What is it?"

"How did you stop his fire attacks? I'm pretty sure that I saw him using his esper abilities against you. There's no way you could have avoided them in a place like this."

"Well…" At this point, Kamijou could only tell her the truth.

Kamijou did avoid the first by falling to the ground, so in a way, it was possible, but as for the rest… Suddenly, the woman turned around and looked at him, obviously waiting for his answer.

"So?" She urged.

"I'm not sure if I can explain it, and I don't even know how it happens," He hesitated, albeit shortly. "My right hand can negate other esper abilities," He revealed finally, eyes darting. "That much I can tell you."

"You are telling me that you stopped his fire attacks with your bare hand?" With a tone dripping in disbelief, she gazed at him intently. "What is your level as an esper?" Yomikawa questioned, visibly not convinced.

"…I am a level 0."

Her eyes narrowed, face showing irritation. Kamijou couldn't blame her really, for not believing him that is. Most of the time, he could not even believe it himself. This strange power was there, stuck in his hand, but it could not be detected by anything.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" She sighed, Kamijou gulped, "Why are you here anyway? Facing a group of thugs is obviously dangerous and you did it by yourself," Yomikawa frowned. "Are you from Judgment?"

"Judgment?" He repeated, slightly surprised, "No! No… I'm not," The interrogation had begun, and he dreaded having to go through it at all one more time, like every other time he got mixed up in Anti-SKill's work.

"So why did you get involved in this?" Yomikawa inquired, putting a hand on her hip, "Those gunshots… who made them?"

"Ehh… Well… one of them shot their gun… then I did."

The woman blinked several times before sighing again, troubled. _(Rotten luck!)_ Kamijou cursed in his mind as he wondered why of all Anti-skill members, his sensei had to be the one to find him on this situation.

"Explain yourself."

Kamijou directed his eyes to the ground and scratched the back of his head; this was going to be difficult.

"…Well… I took it fr-"

"Hold on, this is not the time or the place to talk. Give me your cell phone," Yomikawa interrupted him as she extended her hand to him.

"Wha… why?" Kamijou twitched slightly.

"My team is coming soon," The woman answered." You should leave now before they arrive if you want to save yourself some trouble. Maybe you haven't noticed but it's 9:04 already, and you still have to attend to your classes, don't you?" Yomikawa took Kamijou's phone from his hand when he pocketed it out, "I want your phone number so I can contact you later and ask some more pointed questions."

"But, eh… you really need my phone number, sensei?" Kamijou asked, intrigued, "I mean, we could just talk in the school, right?"

"I won't be able to assist today due to my work in Anti-skill," She responded, keeping her expression soft. "I will call you before curfew to meet, okay? The sooner we talk, the better so… Don't make any plans."

Yomikawa manipulated both his cell and hers, transferring his phone number to her contact list and vice-versa. She returned him his phone and as he stared at the new contact, wondering why she wanted to meet him so badly today. They could just talk tomorrow, so why the hurry...? Really?

"Now, go! Your friend is waiting for you," The woman urged. "Hurry!"

Kamijou could only nod before leaving, running as fast as his legs would let him to escape the scene.

_(…Wait… did she just said someone was waiting for me? Nah… I don't think so… Who would? Maybe those gun shots affected my hearing…)_

Kamijou tried to convince himself he must have heard wrong. Really, who could be waiting for him anyway? And why would they in the first place? He was the kind of guy with few friends, and those he had weren't fond enough of him. In the end the teen decided to put those thoughts aside, and he finally left the abandoned building maze.

"I bet no one is going to believe me back at school," He whined, slumping his shoulders, "I'm so screwed… Fukou da…"

"You are right, Kamijou… no one would..." The boy froze, this was the second time in this day he have heard that voice, and it belonged to a certain scary classmate, "But I do… now…"

Kamijou recalled what his sensei said to him before leaving as she was clearly referring to Fukiyose.

_(A friend, she said? Is that so?)_ Despite being classmates, Kamijou couldn't really tell what she was to him. By the way she acted and reacted during classes, Kamijou had come to understand that she hated him. Could he really consider Fukiyose a friend?

"F-Fukiyose!?" He stammered, getting rather nervous, "What are you doing here? You should be in class, you know."

"I could say the same thing," The busty girl's tone was cold and dry. "So… this is what you do…"

"Do…? Do what?" Kamijou massaged the back of his neck, trying to feign ignorance. Eventually, he averted his eyes from her as he now scratched his left cheek.

"Don't play dumb with me, Kamijou," Fukiyose fumed, narrowing her eyes. "I saw it all."

This was bad. This time he felt he was going to get killed by her for sure, but what could he possibly do now? He left her in the entrance of his school and missed first class, not to mention that she'd probably seen his encounter with the thugs, which was honestly worse than anything else.

"By 'all' you mean…?" He tried to gain some time before the inevitable end.

Fukiyose bit her lip and asked, "Why did you risk your life doing something like that? They could have killed you… why not let Anti-skill deal with them?"

He couldn't answer.

Suddenly, she stepped forward to him. Kamijou knew what was going to happen and his body reacted on instinct. He shut his eyes and raised his hands defensively. He could only wait for what the ass-kicking Fukiyose was going to give him, but something happened…

No pain came, so she didn't hit him yet, but… but he felt something… more exactly, his hands felt it. It was something soft and bouncy… the texture… was this… some kind of fabric? He still had his eyes closed and didn't dare to open then yet. Kamijou moved his hands to sense a bit more, whatever he was touching was big and… circular… Each hand was grabbing something that had the same form and size.

_(What is this…? Wait… This… this… this is…!)_

Kamijou suddenly opened his eyes as he just realized what he was touching. Now he knew that he was a dead man. The fact that he was grabbing Fukiyose's chest registered on his mind, while the girl just stared at his hands with a blank expression. It did not take long for her to react.

An uppercut connected with Kamijou's chin, the force behind it nearly shattering his jaw. He fell backwards, hitting his back and butt.

"Kamijou… why do you, always…" Fukiyose's voice trailed off, looking terribly disgusted.

It took some seconds for Kamijou to move, but when he did he massaged his face and sat up over the ground.

He was kind of used to this kind of treatment when dealing with her, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt. No matter how familiar, it hurt like hell. He had to admit that most of the time, it was his fault, or the fault of his two friends, creating a ruckus in class for one reason or another. Stupid reasons he had to accept.

Jokes about his daily beatings aside, Kamijou considered his experiences in class as the sources of his great endurance, so it had unexpected benefits despite the pain. But that thinking would remain safely inside his own mind, because it sounded a bit weird even in his punch-addled state.

"I guess there is no use denying it anymore," Kamijou gazed back at her without blinking. "I wanted to do it… Stopping those guys, I mean…" A soft tint of red spread across his cheeks as he recalled the enjoyable sensation in his hands, "…not about touching your… eh…"

"Just shut up and listen!" Fukiyose yelled.

Still sitting on the ground, Kamijou nodded and gave her his full attention. He noticed his book bag hanging on her left hand. He must have dropped it when he ran off from school.

"You're reckless! First, you run away from school, and then you decide to go to check that explosion!? What if others occurred after the first and you were caught in them?"

"But-" He tried to give an excuse, but his classmate spoke even louder.

"Not to mention that fight you had with those delinquents! What were you thinking, seriously?" She folded her arms in ire, "Noooo… You weren't thinking at all! You are so irresponsible! Argh!" Fukiyose glared at him, her hands now gripped her skirt. "You are going to drive me crazy, Kamijou!"

The annoyed teen sighed as the lecture continued. She was right about everything but alas, that's how he was. Kamijou hated getting into trouble, yet he always ended neck deep in it.

He reflected a moment, in the morning light, and realized how serious he was when it came to helping somebody, to stopping those who harmed them. His own terrible experiences in the past made his resolution firm: he could never stand for others enduring more of the same.

Mind cleared, Kamijou decided to tell her how he truly felt about his actions, confronting her once and for all. He breathed deeply and stood up, ignoring her continued rant.

"Listen!" Kamijou's sharp voice cut through Fukiyose's speech, his tone startling the school girl who was universally feared. Strangely, he felt none of the usual dread that her presence usually created, "Those bastards caused that mess in that building, and they almost killed some people. Who knows what more they could have done if they had escaped."

Fukiyose's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms, not saying anything in return. This was the cue for Kamijou to continue.

"I know it's not my business. The authorities are here to take care of those situations, after all. But… I just can't look away when someone gets hurt," Kamijou's determination to say it all was taking force. "I could have died, yes... but if I had allowed them to escape and cause more suffering, maybe even death of someone in the future, I would never forgive myself."

Kamijou looked directly at her eyes as she stared back at him. She looked annoyed, and he knew his argument wasn't over. It was time to take a stand.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Prologue Section: Song 04

* * *

"I don't regret doing this and I never will," Kamijou raised his right hand and formed a fist. "I will continue to help people, even if that costs me my life," His strong voice made her blink in surprise, if only because he had never spoke to her in that way before. "If you want to stop me, then hit me so hard that I will never wake up again. That's the only way you'll keep me from doing it all again next time, because I assure you, today won't be the last."

"Don't you care about your own life?" Fukiyose asked, dropping her gaze and giving one step closer to him, although hesitantly.

"I do, and I will do anything on my power to stay alive… while helping people. I may be reckless, stupid, irresponsible, an idiot and all that, but I will never be someone who turns his back to people when they need me."

Fukiyose's eyes widened, the focus they often held failing in the fierce light of his gaze.

"This is my way of living," The unfortunate student known as Kamijou Touma finally stated, a sincere smile spread across his face.

Fukiyose stood in front of him speechless, not even blinking. Kamijou readied himself as he was sure she was going to hit him again, but being truthful to her lifted a weight out of his shoulders. A whole minute passed, her silence began trouble him. Why hadn't she punched him yet?

Many things occurred during the morning, most of them bad and sudden, but the smirk that unexpectedly emerged in Fukiyose's face showed him that even in unfortunate days like this, the simplest of things could make one happy.

"Well…" She tilted her head to the side, smiling sweetly. "That's some attitude, Kamijou… but..." She breathed, as if relieved. "That's what I wanted to hear. I'm… I'm proud of you."

"R-really?" He could not believe it.

"Yes. Despite all your whining about your bad luck in school, you've shown me today that nothing stops you from doing what you think is right, not even your bad luck," She made an unexpectedly cute expression that caught him off guard, lighting his face red.

"Th-thanks…" Kamijou replied with a nervous tone while averting his gaze.

When his eyes finally returned to her, he noticed she was staring at him from head to toe, making Kamijou feel even more uncomfortable than before.

"You are not hurt, are you? Those shots…"

"Oh? No, no. I'm fine."

"Is your back okay? I saw you falling to the ground and I thought that you…" Fukiyose sounded awfully concerned, which was honestly a bit shocking to him.

Two questions sprang to Kamijou's mind in that moment. First: Did she see him falling to the ground when the fire esper attacked him the first time? Second: How did she manage to watch the fight whilst remaining unnoticed… and from where?

"As you can see, I'm perfectly fine," He spoke reassuringly. "Don't worry for this Kamijou-san."

Fukiyose looked at him with eyes of suspicion, but only until she extended her hand holding his book bag. The boy glanced at his bag and then at her, confused.

"Then… c'mon. Let's go."

Some seconds passed before Kamijou sighed, a resigned smile forming slowly. She remained silent until he finally nodded and received his bag with good grace.

"Yeah."

Both students walked back to their school, chatting about school stuff, healthy food and the loli tastes of a classmate. Nothing about Kamijou's incident was mentioned, which was odd and more than a little unnerving.

He honestly had expected her to be a little more inquisitive about today's events in that alley. Maybe she didn't see him dispelling the fire with his hand; maybe she was saving these questions for another time. Kamijou could only guess.

**PART 7**

It was 9:38. Kamijou and Fukiyose were waiting in the hallway outside their class. To his relief, they didn't have any problem entering school thanks to his homeroom teacher, **Tsukiyome Komoe**, who told them that Yomikawa called on their behalf and asked them to not be punished for their late arrival.

"I guess we were lucky," Fukiyose commented, watching some students through the windows that extended along the hallway.

_(To be lucky…)_ Kamijou thought it was hilarious when someone said that to him, and it's been twice already in this day.

"I certainly don't think so," A chuckle escaped from Kamijou's lips as he rested his back on a wall. "Anyway Fukiyose, can I ask you something… about what happened earlier?"

The busty black-haired girl glanced at him before returning her eyes to the window.

"Go ahead," She simply said.

"Ok…" He cleared his throat, "You followed me all the way since I left the school, right?" Kamijou felt the need to ask, he was getting more and more curious about why she hasn't asked more questions about his escapade.

"Yes, I did. You have a problem with that?" Fukiyose twitched an eyebrow.

"No, of course not… but… why did you follow me? You almost got yourself into trouble for doing it. You could have stopped me anytime."

Fukiyose did not say a word, so he assumed she wasn't going to answer his question despite the fact that she allowed him to ask it. _(This girl is a pain in the ass, really…)_ But his train of thought was interrupted when her voice reached his ear shot.

"I could have… but I chose not to do it," Fukiyose admitted. "I just needed to see with my own eyes what you planned to do. I mean, you always give incredible excuses when you come late to class, so when the chance to discover the truth behind your lies presented itself, I took it."

"You needed to see…?" There was a flicker of uncertainty on his eyes. Hers in contrast displayed conviction, "Why?"

"I was worried about you, of course!" She exclaimed, lowering her head slightly, "As your classmate and friend, to see you don't deviate from the good road is my obligation."

The busty girl folded her arms over her notable chest and approached him, standing face to face. Her serious demeanour showed him that she wasn't joking about it. She truly considered him a friend, and from this day onward, he would do the same.

"I see…" Kamijou muttered, and finally looked at her directly in the eyes. "Thanks and… sorry for making you worried."

Odd as it may have been, they both stared into each other's eyes after he said that in silence. This was the first time Kamijou had got the chance to appreciate her cute face. He had to admit that he might be getting carried away.

"S-so…" The spiky-haired boy averted his eyes away from her and scratched his head, "I imagine you met Yomikawa-sensei along the way."

"Yeah, when I saw you chasing after those guys, I ran to find some help… Then I heard the gunshots…" Fukiyose's voice trailed off.

Kamijou raised an eyebrow as Fukiyose's gaze fell to the floor. She looked depressed; this was the first time he saw her like that and he didn't like it. Before he could ask what was wrong, she continued.

"I feared the worst… so I returned to where I last saw you. That's when I met with Yomikawa-sensei," Fukiyose's face became serious, yet he could still tell that she looked sad. "I told her everything I knew and-

"You heard more gunshots," Kamijou added.

The girl was startled by Kamijou's interruption, but then nodded.

"Yomikawa-sensei told me to wait there and left, running to where those gunshots came…" Fukiyose elaborated, "I couldn't wait, so I ran after her."

"What happened then?"

Kamijou never heard her reply as the door of his class was opened. A little girl with pink hair and matching eyes appeared from it.

"Kamijou-chan, Fukiyose-chan… you may enter-desu," The little girl said to them.

Kamijou glanced at her and nodded. It was still difficult to believe that this little kawaii girl was actually his homeroom teacher. Tsukiyome Komoe was considered to be one of the seven wonders in his school due to her appearance.

"Komoe-sensei," Fukiyose addressed her as she entered the class. "I'm really sorry for coming this late. It won't happen again."

"I already told you it's fine. Aiho-chan explained me everything so don't worry-desu."

Kamijou did not move as he was hesitant to enter the class. He could already imagine all the crap his two friends were going to bring up from his late arrival.

"Don't just stand in there, Kamijou-chan. Come in," Komoe motioned him to enter.

"Right…" He muttered slowly.

As he did so, the expected reactions from his classmates occurred.

"Kami-yan! What were you doing, eh? Hitting on girls again before coming to school? Really, you don't know when to stop-nya."

Kamijou directed his eyes to a blond-haired guy sitting, where else, on the unfortunate boy's own desk. The idiot was **Tsuchimikado Motoharu**, and sadly one of Kamijou's few friends. He was wearing his usual sunglasses and the school uniform for summer.

"I would say the same if not for the fact that ya came together with Fukiyose. I can't believe it! Fukiyose has succumbed to the Kami-yan disease," Another student spoke with a fake Kansai accent. He was sadly _(again),_ another friend of Kamijou's.

**Aogami Pierce** was his name; he had blue hair and wore a non-regulation yellow shirt under his uniform. He, together with Tsuchimikado and the good-looking Kamijou, conformed the known **Idiot trio** as some people knew it, or the **Delta Force **as they preferred to be called. The unfortunate boy chose for once to ignore their comments, while Fukiyose did the usual.

Only two minutes passed before Tsuchimikado and Aogami were punished by their usual stupidity and insinuations by none other than Fukiyose, who was known among her peers as '**The Iron Wall Girl**'. The two idiots were lying unconscious on the ground with huge bumps on their heads.

"Everyone! Stop messing around and get on your seats or I'll call a telepath and expose all your dirty secrets!" Komoe announced with a cold smile.

With haste, every student in the class took their respective seats with the exception of two unconscious idiots.

"As you all must remember, exams are coming soon before the summer break so all of you do your best to get good grades, okay?" The little teacher directed her eyes to a one unlucky spiky-haired boy looking aimlessly through the window at his left side, "Kamijou-chan! Pay attention or I'll make you stay all night-desu!"

"W-wait Komoe-sensei, I was listening! You just said something about the coming exams, right?" He hastily said, barely recalling Kmoe's words.

"…Alright, let's continue with the class then-desu."

Kamijou sighed. To think that all kind of crazy stuff happened in this morning, he hoped that nothing more would occur. Still, the dreaded feeling remained as he knew it was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Author notes: I hope you you all had enjoyed the start of the new road of misfortune of the Imagine Breaker Boy. Always support the original series. Reviews, inquiries or any comments are always welcomed. Thanks for giving this story some of your time. I truly appreciate it.**

**\- Frank**


	2. Heavy CHOICE Justice

**As most of you may wonder, this story begins even before the events of the Railgun canon, which means that Touma has yet to meet the Magic side.**

**Also, I should mention that some of the events you all know may have already changed or not due to the accident Touma suffered when trying to get that cat... why you wonder? Because Touma moved to AC one week later than it should have been. This means that the absence of our unfortunate hero in AC during that week had already started changing the future events to come, like Kongou befriending both Wannai and Awatsuki at an earlier time or Touma meeting Kongou for that matter.**

**Open a tab with my profile, then enter the one of ANROM. The section of chapter 01 with the corresponding links should be there. Thanks to "PupsyIsMyDog" and "Major Major Major Major" for the great beta work.**

**Have a great reading!**

**\- Frank**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 01: The Scarlet Flowers on the Castle: _HEAVY,-Choice_JUSTICE_**

**PART 1**

_(Finally… break time.)_

It has been three long hours since classes began for Kamijou and he already was on the verge of falling prey to the Mistress of Dreams. Luckily for him, their midday break saved him from the punishment he surely would have received for falling asleep in class.

The one thing keeping him awake was the talk about the explosion at 'a nearby building'. It was a hot topic among Kamijou's classmates, but to his relief, no one mentioned anything that implied they connected his lateness to it. He was eternally grateful that Fukiyose for once chose to remain silent about it rather than use it as a chance to nag him.

Kamijou yawned as he stretched his limbs, trying to rid his body of its numbness, before aiming his first bite from his bento.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Song 01

* * *

"Kami-yan!" Tsuchimikado called out, but Kamijou decided to ignore it and proceeded to eat his food, "Hey, Kami-yan!"

"Just because Fukiyose is under your control doesn't mean ya can ignore us," Another voice followed the first, this one belonging to Aogami.

"I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about," Kamijou responded before shovelling more curried rice into his mouth.

Both of Touma's friends stood in front of him with arms crossed, a severe expression on their faces for some likely stupid reason.

"What? You are so popular now that you don't even want to talk with us?" Tsuchimikado gritted his teeth, "We knew you were a playboy and we respected that, but we never expected you to be someone who forgets his friends for just becoming popular-nya. Not cool, Kami-yan, not cool."

_(Yeah… A stupid reason indeed.)_

"First… What are you two talking about?" He directed a blank stare at the two pests, "Second… what the hell are you two really talking about?" Kamijou rolled his eyes, "And third, aren't you exaggerating things a bit?"

"We're not exaggerating anything. If not, then why did ya come late to class and why was Fukiyose with ya?" Asked Aogami with suspicion.

Kamijou knew that was going to be hard to answer with a lie, and the truth wasn't going to help. The whole mess that occurred this morning was something anyone would consider unbelievable, even more so since it involved the power he used to defeat the fire esper. Fukiyose knew part of the truth but for some reason he felt that involving her would only make things worse for the both of them, so a lie was the only option.

"I overslept… and Fukiyose… overslept… too… I guess… I met her at the entrance, so… that's all," No matter how he tried, Kamijou was not being convincing at all and he knew it. "Stop imagining stuff."

Both students gazed at him suspiciously, though they said nothing. Their continued stare began to make him nervous.

"Stop looking at me like that, damn it!" He snapped.

"It's so hard to believe but well, it's yar business," The bluehead commented as he simply returned to his seat, which seemed uncharacteristic of Aogami. Kamijou was pretty sure that the loli-con normally would have continued to bother him all day. The difference disturbed him, but he decided to count his blessing.

"You are right! It is my business, so stop bugging me and let me eat my bento," Kamijou said with a bored tone, grabbing a couple of tiny potatoes from his homemade food. "Just let me be, ok?"

"You disappoint me, Kami-yan," The blond student said, his gaze supposedly still upon him. With those glasses, Kamijou could only guess to where Tsuchimikado's eyes were really looking.

"Geez, you are such a pain in the ass…" Kamijou growled, "Can't I enjoy my lunch during break?"

The blond opened his mouth but no words came from him. Sweat began to run down his face and his expression changed completely, startling Kamijou.

"What's wrong?" The Imagine-Breaker boy asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" A new voice spoke from the class's entry door, and Kamijou turned his eyes to its source.

The newcomer was Fukiyose, who left the class for 'who knows what' when the bell's ring marked the beginning of break. Having returned, she glared at the boy with glasses, who in turn sweated more and more by the minute.

"So… Kamijou is controlling me, huh?" Her voice was dry, face serious, and the fists she formed foretold the massacre that was coming.

"I don't have anything to do with anything they are saying! These two are making up stuff!" Kamijou almost shouted; he had to prove his innocence before the bloodshed began.

"Ya now sell us, Kami-yan? That's pretty low of ya," Aogami spoke with notorious fear on his voice.

"Tss! I understand now why you let Kami-yan' go so easily, Aogami!" Tsuchimikado yelled, glaring daggers at his classmate, "You saw her from the beginning and didn't warm me, you bastard-nya!"

The blue-haired boy turned his face to the other side, shamelessly whistling. Tsuchimikado gritted his teeth at his indirect confession while Kamijou palmed his face.

"I'm gonna kick your ass, Aogami!"

Tsuchimikado made his way to Aogami and grabbed him by the shirt. These two were about to start a brawl in front of the Iron Wall girl.

_(Were_ _they always this insane_?) "Hey! Knock it off, you two!" He shouted, "This looks bad enough as it is, starting a fight over something stupid isn't going to help!" Kamijou tried to calm them but it was to no avail.

Fukiyose shut her eyes closed while crossing her arms. A tick mark was becoming quite visible on her ample forehead: Kamijou recognised it as the last sign before her anger erupted.

"_If_ I remember correctly, it was you Aogami that made the comment about me being under Kamijou's control," The emphasis in the first word spoken stopped their brawl immediately; she now had a firm hold of their full attention. "I guess you were thinking the same, right Tsuchimikado?"

"W-w-well…" Both students stuttered nervously, as there was nothing they could do now to stop what was coming to them.

Kamijou suppressed a sigh and sat back to observe the punishment of his two friends. He was just glad to be a spectator for once.

**PART 2**

It was 4:30 and the bell's final ring announced the end of classes; students were already leaving with the exception of a certain spiky-haired boy and a blond.

"Geez… this time it hurt like hell-nya. Why was she more angry than usual?" The boy, sporting a new pair of sunglasses, commented as he stood up from his desk.

Kamijou, who was still sitting on his desk, only glanced at him before resuming his study of the roof.

"More angry than usual? Hmm… I have no idea," Again, Kamijou found himself lying. He was fairly certain; he knew why her punishment seemed more aggressive than usual.

The unfortunate boy had fully expected Fukiyose to get angry when he confronted her but that never happened. On the contrary, she had supported his goal and wishes, which honestly baffled him. He wondered if, in the end, she had been angry, but didn't show it for some unknown reason. And if the remaining members of the Delta Force had been the unfortunate catalyst for her rage, who was to blame a certain innocent Kamijou?

"You didn't do something to her, did you-nya?" Tsuchimikado asked, his voice carrying a suspicious tone.

"No!" Kamijou answered immediately, "Really Tsuchimikado, it's not like we can do anything to her even if we wanted to."

A sly smile appeared on the blonde's face. Kamijou knew that expression: it always meant something ridiculous that was about to come out of his mouth, and he was pretty damn sure this one was going to make Kamijou want to punch him.

"But if you could, you would do something to her, nya?"

As expected, the boy thought guessed right.

"I'm not going to answer that!" Kamijou exclaimed and rose from his seat, grabbing his school bag to storm out the class without looking back. Tsuchimikado's voice echoed followed him through the now empty class as the handsome spiky-haired boy left.

"So you really want her! Your hunger for women is insatiable, Kami-yan! Not even the scary Iron Wall girl is safe from you-nya!"

"Shut the hell up!" Kamijou shouted back, "Stop saying such nonsense and focus on the coming exams, idiot!"

"Whatever you say, Kami-yan. Just don't forget to…" Tsuchimikado's voice faded as Kamijou continued to walk away.

He stopped suddenly, _(Just don't forget to what?)_ His curiosity began to irk him, yet he decided to shrug it off. Tsuchimikado was just going to say something stupid again, so why bother?

Kamijou reached the stairs before stopping again. This time, the cause was the girl apparently coming from the floor above. She wore the school uniform but her skirt was long, with short black hair just tickling her shoulders.

The spiky-haired boy blinked twice when the female student smiled at him, and after his initial surprise he recognised her immediately. She was** Kumokawa Seria**, one of the most notable students in his school. She was not only a remarkable genius, but also a beauty with a variety of exceptional skills.

Kumokawa didn't move from where she was standing, nor react in any other way. She only remained silent, never shifting her piercing eyes from the unfortunate boy. He could tell she was looking for something, analysing and intimidating the boy before her.

"Kamijou Touma… How are you doing?" The girl spoke casually, which seemed somehow terribly odd. This impression was despite his unfamiliarity with her: they had only spoken a handful of times. He felt very uncomfortable with her being so casual to him.

"Good, I guess…" Kamijou answered, scratching the back of his head.

"Is that so?" The girl with short hair said with a voice that oozed polite inquisitiveness.

"Y-Yeah…?" The unlucky student averted his eyes to the side. Her sharp eyes were no less frightening than her overwhelming presence.

A long moment passed as no one spoke a word.

"…Fine," Kumokawa's eyes narrowed. She then walked down the stairs and left without saying anything more.

A chill flowed through Kamijou's skin as he remained locked in place. Fukiyose may freak him out quite a bit, but this girl was on a whole new level.

_(Damn… What just happened…?)_

Dreading continuing down the stairs, the boy instead turned back to the corridor to enter a nearby bathroom.

Kamijou went directly to the sink and let loose the torrent. He stared at the falling water for some seconds before using both hands to take some to his face.

"Geez… This is what I needed," Kamijou said to no one in particular and took more water to his face.

"Umm…"

Kamijou's eyes widened when a sound came from his side and turned his face towards its source. Kamijou's face became completely red.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Picture 01

* * *

Kamijou wondered "why?" Why was a devastingly-close-to-naked girl standing before his eyes. The girl had long brown hair and her eyes were yellow, but despite his best efforts they weren't the focus of his deepest attention.

He caught her midway through undressing, and her unbuttoned orange shirt showed a modest white bra hiding impressive breasts. A black and brown-colored tie was still on her neck; even if it wasn't the moment, Kamijou couldn't help but to wonder if it was the tie that was too small or her breasts that were too big. The white sweater still on her arms accentuated her light-brown skirt half-way down from her waist. They perfectly framed her flower-patterned panties and long black stockings.

He gaped at her in horror, but her expression held only mild confusion. A full minute passed as both of them continued to stare at each other wordlessly. Kamijou didn't know what to do.

Normally, when he ended up in this kind of situation, the girl in question just began to scream like crazy and he was left with no other choice but to run away. But this girl didn't even show any sign of wanting to do so.

"I-I-w-we…" The awkwardness made it difficult for Kamijou to find his tongue.

"What are you doing here? This is the girl's bathroom, you know?" Suddenly, the brown-haired girl spoke. Kamijou was shocked.

_(Why am I in the girl's bath? And why is she taking this so freaking casually!?)_

Kamijou didn't respond, making the girl frown. She tilted her head to the side and continued to stare. One more minute passed, the boy's embarrassment reached its limit and he could only do what he always did.

"This is a misunderstanding!" Kamijou screamed as he spun around, running out of the bath. He decided to not stop his legs until he was well out of the school.

**PART 3**

Kamijou found himself exhausted from his sprint, resting one hand on the wall at his side. The unfortunate boy was only two blocks away from the school, but already panting heavily.

Normally the distance between that bathroom and here wouldn't have been so tiring, but the circumstances had demanded his top speed. He noticed some of the passing students glancing at him but he paid them no mind. He could care less about most everything right now.

"Oh, shit! I left my stuff there!" Kamijou said with an exasperated tone and slapped his forehead, "Why does this have to happen to me!?"

His school bag likely remained on the bathroom floor where he left it, which meant he would need to return to retrieve it.

Kamijou's mind still held the image of that girl's underwear and he guessed it would not disappear any time soon. What if that girl was still in there? What if he met that girl on his way there? What if the next time he met her, she would become violent like most usually did? He had enough for today with that girl called Kongou, and another crazy chick was out of the question.

"I didn't even apologise… Geez…"

He remained indecisive, lost in thought. After minutes of possible bad scenarios occurring in his mind, the only thing that seemed plausible to him was to wait until everyone was out of sight.

_(Just… who was that girl?)_

Kamijou had no idea of who exactly she was; he didn't see her school uniform anywhere. Was that girl even from his school? Probably not, but why she would be changing her clothes inside the girl's bath in his school? There are plenty of places for girls to do that, right?

As always, his rotten luck managed to get him into a really embarrassing situation, but at least he managed to get a good view of her body without getting hit in the process. In the end, it wasn't that bad of a trade.

Kamijou grabbed his cell from the left pocket in his pants, then flipped it open.

"4:48. I guess I will wait 15 minutes," He said to himself.

The boy looked around him and saw a coffee shop across the street from where he was standing.

"Well… it's not like eating something there will mess up my finances… I hope."

Kamijou waited for the traffic lights to change and crossed over to it. The coffee shop was kind of tiny compared to the buildings around it, but its bright green and white colors made it quite attractive to the eye. It just looked like a great place to grab something to eat, so long as the prices were low though.

Upon entering the building he was greeted by a cute girl dressed as a maid. Her outfit was a flawless combination of a dark-blue dress and a white pinafore, with a blue ribbon over her medium-sized bosom and a matching hair accessory. It all combined perfectly with her shoulder-length gray hair and turquoise eyes.

"Welcome back home, Goshujin-sama," The maid bowed before him and smiled brightly. "Please come in."

"…Ok…" The young student nodded.

Kamijou was startled. This was his first time entering a Maid Café, and if not for Tsuchimikado's step sister, he could have also said that this was his first time seeing a maid.

The cute maid motioned for him to follow her, and as he did so, Kamijou glanced around him and noticed that almost all tables were occupied by guys. It was not surprising in the slightest. All the other maids in the café were pretty, too. It was obvious that these adorable girls were the reason on why this shop had this many clients.

_(But… would this mean that this place was expensive?)_

"Ano…" A voice interrupted his train of thought, belonging to the girl that just greeted him, "You can sit here, Goshujin-sama."

Kamijou blinked twice before examining what was in front of him. The girl elegantly directed him to his seat, her graceful hand extended towards a round white table with three matching chairs.

"Oh… Thanks," He smiled at her as he took a seat by the table.

"I will bring you today's menu," The maid said to him as she bowed again. "Please, excuse me."

"Ok… Thanks, again."

The maid nodded and left quickly.

_(Huh… she seems like a nice perso-)_ A sudden noise that came from Kamijou's right side caught his attention. Apparently, the girl attending him stumbled into a red-haired maid, her dishes falling to the ground.

"I'm sorry! I-I-I'm so sorry!" The poor girl bowed twice to her fellow worker. By the sound of her voice, she seemed about to cry.

The red-haired maid with matching eyes heaved a sigh and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Don't worry, it's fine… Don't cry…" The redhead spoke with a soft and kind voice, putting one hand under the chin of the maid with turquoise eyes. The distance between their faces was minimal.

It could have been just him, but it seemed that those two were surrounded by some kind of pink aura with flowers around them. Why one earth he was seeing that?

"SOOOO MOE!" Someone shouted from somewhere.

"But…" The red-haired girl's tone changed abruptly as well as her facial expression, and though still good looking she now looked like terror incarnate, "You're gonna have to pay for that from your salary."

It was scary to see how that girl's demeanor changed in less than a second. _(Geez… How many crazy chicks existed in this obscure city?)_

The poor girl just nodded, her gaze directed at ground as she stood there, immobile.

Kamijou couldn't keep seeing her like that, so he stood and walked towards the depressed-looking girl. He knelt down beside her and began to pick up the broken pieces of the dishes, also gathering in the wasted food.

The gray-haired maid also knelt before him in that instant.

"No-no! You don't need to do that! I'll take care of it!" The girl shouted at him as she clumsily tried to stop him, grabbing at his arms.

"It's no problem, let me help you," The boy said to her with a reassuring smile.

"But...!"

Kamijou stared directly at her pretty eyes with a serious expression. For some reason, the only sound that reached his ears in that moment was the one coming from the girl's breathing. He didn't dare to look around him, but he could swear that all the people in café were staring at both of them. Not that it mattered.

Suddenly, the clumsy maid lowered her head as her cheeks became red for some reason; her eyes were hidden under her bangs.

"F-f-f-fine…" She finally responded.

Both the maid and Kamijou continued to pick up broken dishes when another maid kneeled at their side. Kamijou was taken aback when he looked at her. This girl had some kind of dark aura around her that combined with her short black hair, red eyes, and ghostlike face, created a terrifying visage.

"Here," The scary girl offered to him a broom and dustpan which he accepted immediately. His instincts told him that if he refused anything from her, it would probably be the last thing he would ever live to do. That's what her expression implied, at any rate.

Kamijou quickly finished picking up the remaining pieces as well as the food and gave both cleaning tools back to the scary-looking maid, who only nodded and disappeared between the other maids surrounding them.

"Oh! You are such a gentleman!" A blond maid spoke to him, her face getting uncomfortably close to his.

A nervous chuckle escaped from Kamijou's lips as he stepped back. All the maids were staring at him, which was terribly awkward. Why they were all around him?

"I really didn't do anything, ha…ha…"

In that moment Kamijou felt a vibration coming from his left pocket.

"E-excuse me…" Kamijou said to them as he took out his cell, opening it as he walked to the entrance, which took him a bit due to the crowd of maids compromising his quick getaway.

The screen showed the message 'Incoming call from Yomikawa-chan' as his cell's tune began to play. _(Yomikawa-chan...?)_

"But thank goodness…" Kamijou whispered to himself, sighing in relief as he finally left the group behind.

At some point, Kamijou had gotten the impression those girls had something nefarious planned for him. Why else would they surround him like that? He just helped one of them by picking up some stuff, that's all. They just needed to thank him, not gang up on him.

Finally free from the Maid Café, Kamijou answered the call.

Kamijou took his cell to the ear, "Hello?"

"Kamijou?" A female voice came from the tiny object.

"Yeah?"

Strangely enough, no sound came from her for several seconds.

"Kamijou," She finally spoke, "It's me, Yomikawa."

"I know. I have your number in my phone list, remember?" Kamijou answered playfully, as he rested his back on the left wall near the entrance of the café.

A light chuckle was heard from his cell and he smiled.

"You're right. Anyway, Kamijou… Can we meet up like I told you earlier?" Yomikawa asked, a cheerful tone back in her voice.

"Well…" Kamijou put one hand behind his head and continued, "…I guess we can. Where should we meet?"

"Where? Hmm… Do you know the Furiai Plaza by any chance?"

Kamijou directed his gaze to the sky as he sorted his thoughts. Some seconds passed before he finally remembered.

"Isn't there the 7th Street in front of the Furiai Plaza?" Kamijou asked to confirm his thoughts.

"Yes, so you know it," Her tone became even more cheerful, "Meet me there at 5:30, ok?"

Kamijou took off the cell from his ear and looked at the hour. It was 4:59… No… he would not make it in time… While not being that way, he still had to retrieve his book bag from the school. He would need more time.

"Sensei, I don't think I can…" Kamijou's voice faded when someone walked up to him, approaching so closely that he couldn't hide the red fluster from showing plainly on his cheeks.

Kamijou unconsciously let the phone fall to the side as he reorganised his thoughts, because the very same girl he saw almost nude at that bathroom was somehow before him. And she was suddenly very close to him.

"Eh…" Kamijou had no idea of what was happening until the girl, now wearing just a long yellow dress, held up her arm to dangle his lost school bag.

"Why did you leave like that? You forgot this, you dummy!" The brown-haired girl smiled sweetly, getting a bit more closer to him.

Kamijou thought for a second that she was going to hit him with it, but she apparently had no intentions of using it as a blunt weapon. While that was a big relief, it didn't relieve him of his anxiety.

_(Hey! You are way too close! To tell me that you brought my bag, you had to get this close?) _That's what Kamijou would have wanted to say but he couldn't find his voice.

"Kamijou? Kamijou! Are you still there? Kamijou!" The spiky-haired boy directed his eyes to the source of the voice, and his eyes widened. Yomikawa-sensei was still on the phone!

"I-I-ehh… Just let me finish my call!" Kamijou shouted, pushing her back a bit from the shoulders. Kamijou turned around and took the tiny device to his ear again.

"Kamijo-"

"Yomikawa-sensei! I will see you there at 6:00!" The boy interrupted her. Right now he had no time to explain why, so he decided what he would do next.

"6:00? But I told-"

Kamijou pushed the red button on his cell, ending the call, and hurriedly shutting it down. He knew that hanging up would probably make her furious, but he had no choice. With his sensei off his back for the time being, he could return his attention to his new problem.

The unknown girl crossed her arms, a pout spreading where had before been earnest warmth. Kamijou hoped she wouldn't react violently. He'd been in situations like this before, and more often than not, he ended up getting hurt.

"You're finished?" Her voice reached Kamijou's ears in the form of an question, yet he decided to wait in silence and see what insanity would come next. "Really, what's wrong with you?"

That was too much for him to ignore, "What's wrong with me? You are really asking me that? I just saw you almost naked and now you come to talk to me like we were close friends? I mean, aren't you pissed? What if I was some kind of pervert? I could have attacked you, you know?" His exasperated tone took force, "Why didn't you react like a normal girl? You should have screamed and punched me or something!"

"Are you some kind of masochist!?" She shouted, seemingly surprised and suddenly self-conscious as she clutched at her bosom.

Kamijou facepalmed. He couldn't understand this girl. He decided it would for the best to get away from her as fast as he could. Plus he still had to reach that plaza Yomikawa mentioned, though its name was already rapidly fading.

"Listen to me," Kamijou's expression became soft. "I'm sorry for seeing you naked and I appreciate that you brought my school bag, but let's just end this here before it escalates into more uncomfortable and awkward situations for the both of us."

Kamijou extended his hand to the school bag he lost. Unexpectedly, the brown-haired girl stepped back and hid it behind her.

"End this here? I'm sorry but you lost me. What do you mean by this "end this here?" The girl's tone became dry, her eyes tired but still minutely focused on him, "End… what? Care to illuminate me?"

"You see? This is what I'm referring to!" Kamijou yawned as he put both hands in his pants pockets, "These meaningless conversations..." The boy sighed, "Please just give my bag so we can move on with our lives."

Her eyes narrowed, as silent as the night for some seconds before taking another step back with an annoyed expression.

"I don't feel like giving it to you anymore," She growled.

"What?" Kamijou blinked twice.

"You're a big jerk! I don't like jerks! Much less doing them favors!" The brown-haired girl shouted, attracting the looks of everyone near the café.

Kamijou could have sworn that even the people inside the maid shop were observing them. _(What kind of freaking day was this!?)_ He had been through many weird things in his lifetime, but today seemed determined to set a record.

The boy was at loss for words, scrambling for a solution. If that annoying chick wouldn't give him his school bag for him being a 'jerk', then he just had to not be one now.

"You're right, I'm a jerk," He inclined his body as he rested one knee on the ground, putting his arm across his chest and bowing his head slightly. "I'm deeply sorry for my crappy attitude towards you," Not even a single word came from her, but he was willing to be patient for her next reaction.

Some people say that when you expect something to happen, it never occurs in the way you planned. They were painfully proven right.

Before Kamijou could even blink, his school bag impacted his face, sending him backwards into the wall behind him. Kamijou couldn't tell which hurt more, his face or the back of his head.

"Don't do that! You are embarrassing me!" That was the reaction a normal girl would have had in that bathroom.

"Really!?" He snapped, "Is that just a really late reaction, or are you only now embarrassed? For just that!?"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" The girl's face was completely red, and he couldn't understand how apologising was worse for her than accidental exposure.

"There is something really wrong with you!" Kamijou shouted as he stood still, "But I still appreciate that you brought me my stuff, thanks!"

"Can't you shut up!?" The girl turned around and ran down the street, leaving him behind.

Kamijou's couldn't tear his eyes from her until she turned right at the nearest intersection. He was completely confused; he just couldn't tell what that girl had been thinking.

It was then that he noticed the stares directed at his back, causing him to turn around. As he suspected, everyone looked at him from the café's windows. All the maids had weird smiles for unknown reasons.

"...I should just go," He muttered, picking up his school bag and turning away.

Before the spiky-haired boy could take a step, a voice called his name, and he looked over his left shoulder.

"Kamijou-san!" The gray-haired maid with turquoise eyes called his name, "Wait, please!"

_(What now?)_ Kamijou turned to her, his face revealing his irritation, "What is it?"

"I… I want to thank you for helping me," The maid said shyly as she bowed to him.

"I already told you it was no problem, but I'm curious. How do you know my name?"

The girl made a cute sound as she blinked.

"I heard someone calling you that from your cell so I suspected…" She replied, fidgeting with her fingers in a nervous manner.

_(Oh, right.)_ He recalled Yomikawa screaming his name when that crazy chick appeared and he didn't answer her, but did she really scream so loud that the maids could hear it?

"I see..." Kamijou murmured.

"Aren't you going to eat?" The maid asked with concern, "You never had the chance to order anything."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow as he recalled and just smiled. This girl was indeed a good person, if she was so worried about him eating. It could have also been that she was trying to get more clients, but he decided it would be the first one.

"Thanks for asking, but it's gotten a little late and I need to do some stuff. Anyway, if you don't mind telling me, how much those broken dishes and wasted food are gonna cost you?"

"Huh?" His question came from left field: her face hinted at it, but her silence made it clear.

"Counting the two omelet rices and the broken plates, it's 2800 yen," A voice he heard before spoke, it came from the red-haired maid from before that now stood at the clumsy girl's side.

Kamijou was struck speechless. _(Did I hear wrong? 2800 freaking yen? Was that the freaking cost of the plates alone? Or the food?)_

"W-wait! What is the cost of an omelette rice?"

"It's 400 yen, but those two dishes were a special order our café offers, so their cost was 900 yen… each one."

That meant the price of the broken dishes was 1000 yen, 500 yen each plate. That plus 1800 yen from the meals themselves. Kamijou could only wonder if the food was worth the cost.

"She's gonna have to pay for that? All of it?" Kamijou asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yes, all of it," The redhead put her left arm under her chest, which allowed the other to support her face, "We can't allow ourselves to commit any mistakes. If we get paid for doing our job, then making ourselves responsible for committing such errors is only logical."

At closer inspection, Kamijou could tell that this girl was not to be taken lightly. Her cold voice and fierce eyes were a good indication of it. But that didn't mean he was going to leave things like this.

"Then… I will pay for it." Kamijou's sharp voice surprised both of them.

"What?" The maid with gray hair seemed like she was about to cry again.

The redhead narrowed her eyes. She seemed angry, but that changed after a second when a sly smile covered her face. Very anticlimactic to his eyes, but somehow all the more frightening.

"You are going to pay for that? Why?" She stepped forward, amused, "You want to impress us…? I mean, her?"

"No, I just want to do it. I don't need a reason," The boy simply answered; his facial expression showed he was serious about it.

"Huh…" Her smile widened.

"You don't have to do that! You already helped me enough!" The shorter and clumsy maid shouted as Kamijou directed his face towards her.

"Enough? If I could help you more, I would do it," Kamijou took out his wallet and grabbed a 2000 yen bill together with four coins, one of 500 yen and the other three of 100 yen. "Here, take it and don't discount anything from her salary."

"But we can't! We-"

The red-haired maid raised a hand, stopping short whatever the turquoise-eyed girl was about to say. She then turned towards Kamijou.

"Is that an order?" The redhead asked.

Kamijou smirked.

"Yes."

The red-haired maid with amber eyes also smirked.

"While our policy doesn't allow us to accept money in this kind of way, to always do what our Goshujin-sama orders is our obligation."

_(This chick is really dedicated to her job...)_

Kamijou handed the money to the redhead without saying a word.

"That settles it then," The intimidating maid turned her face to the clumsy one. "You better be more careful next time, ok?"

"Yes! This will not happen again..." She pouted.

Kamijou turned around and began to walk away.

"M-m-my name is Suzuki Hana! I'll wait for Kamijou-sama to return and I will attend him to the best of my ability!" The gray-haired maid shouted suddenly, making Kamijou stop on his tracks.

"Now I have a good reason to return," Kamijou spoke without turning around and continued to walk away with a smile on his face.

**Suzuki Hana** was indeed a nice girl, so Kamijou hoped she would not get into more trouble.

As he finally reached the end of the block, he turned to his left and took three steps forward. At which points the unfortunate boy grabbed his head and scratched it like a mad man.

"What the hell did I just do!? Now I only have 400 yen left with me! Gah!" Kamijou didn't regret helping Suzuki, but he knew he was totally screwed. "What am I going to eat until the weekend!?"

He didn't even care about all the people looking at him with eyes of discomfort. This day had become one of the worst in his life. Kamijou stopped his shouting to gain some breath before screaming what he always screamed.

"Fukou daaaaa!"

A lot of people in Academy city wondered in that moment who on earth would scream like that.

**PART 4**

The poor soul named Kamijou Touma was sitting on one of the benches located inside the **Furiai Plaza**, still waiting for his sensei to appear.

It was 5:51 pm, and the final rays of sunlight covering the city were beginning to fade. Kamijou was tired, mentally tired. He felt like not doing anything anymore, only to return to his dorm to sleep, but that would have to wait until his business with Yomikawa-sensei was finished.

"Damnit…" He cursed under his breath, "If I hadn't entered that café, that girl probably wouldn't have broken anything and I still would have 3200 yen with me instead of 400. Such rotten luck…"

In the end, Kamijou knew that his current circumstances were his fault in some twisted way. _(No… My accursed hand is the real culprit, but it's not like I can get rid of it without putting my life in danger.) _He sighed, knowing full well he had to endure it like always.

"Geez… I don't even can afford to buy a crepe right now," Kamijou groaned, slumping his shoulders.

He then sighed, letting his head rest on the back of the bench. This day just needed to end, but who knew what more was going to happen? He had yet to reach the place he called home, so anything bad occurring was still **a certain infinite possibility**.

More minutes passed as the boy looked around aimlessly. There was still no sign of Kamijou's sensei anywhere, so he took out his phone. _(Darn! Only 5:58?)_ The boy knew he was being impatient, but his desire to get this over with was through the roof.

Kamijou looked at his side and noticed there was something red on a bush. He wondered if it was a flower, but upon closer inspection, he confirmed that it was just a doll.

"Did someone forget this?" Kamijou asked no one in particular and got closer to the elephant shaped doll, wondering who on earth would like a red elephant doll.

The unfortunate student observed it for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, before he could lay a hand on it, the doll started to vibrate and its form compressed into a small circular red ball. What came next was totally freaking unexpected.

The compressed red doll exploded, and Kamijou could only do what his instincts told him. He closed his eyes and raised his right hand. A high pitched sound was heard, which could only mean one thing. Whoever caused this was an esper.

Kamijou opened his eyes and was struck speechless by the sight before him. The explosion caused a small radius of destruction, though it wasn't enough to hurt anyone badly. _(Why would someone do something like that?)_ In that moment, the image of that fire esper bastard he defeated came to his mind.

Even if he didn't want to believe it, there were those that only wanted to bring suffering to everyone, or like in a movie he had seen, there were those who only wanted to see the world burn.

Kamijou's eyes averted to the group of people staring at him with eyes of fear. _(That can't be good… that can't be good at all.)_

"H-he is the one causing the explosions!" A black-haired student shouted as he pointed his finger towards Kamijou.

"Eh?"

"Don't let him escape!" Another student shouted from afar.

Kamijou looked all around as the students in the area began to crowd around him. It was pretty obvious they blamed him for that explosion. Anyone else would have been badly hurt, so it made a twisted sort of sense. Kamijou felt this was just his bad luck getting in the way again.

"This is a huge misunderstanding! I didn't do that!" Kamijou tried to defend himself but it was to no avail. To calm and convince a mass of angry people was hard to accomplish, and much worse under these circumstances.

The shouts continued and Kamijou was annoyed, tired, and unhappy. He was at loss for what to do.

"All of you calm down!" A female strong voice spoke, silencing the group of students in the plaza, "I will take care of this so please leave the area!"

When Kamijou followed the source of the voice, his eyes found a dark-blue-haired girl. She wore glasses and a white blouse under a dark blue vest. She also wore around her neck some kind of yellow handkerchief. A gray plaid skirt, white socks and school shoes completed her outfit.

While most students seemed reluctant to leave, they all did in the end. That probably must have to do with the fact that this had a green armband on her right sleeve. People that carried those armbands belonged to the disciplinary committee called Judgment.

"Don't move!" The girl with glasses commanded, her voice was sharp, "I'm with Judgment," She made some kind of pose while grabbing the armband with her left hand. Apparently she did that to clearly show the symbol of Judgment which was white stripes and a shield of the same color over the green background.

Kamijou sighed. Now he was some kind of suspect. This day was certainly unusually bad, even for him.

The unfortunate boy couldn't decide what to do in that instant.

To run away, making him a delinquent for avoiding to cooperate with the authorities, or just give in and endure all the annoying stuff that came with being taken as a suspect. Both options were bad, but Kamijou was tired, and moreover tired of running for today at least. Making up his mind, the unfortunate boy raised both hands in order to show he was surrendering, but he still said what was on his mind.

"I know it will be useless to say anything to defend myself, everything shows that I'm the culprit," Kamijou closed his eyes. "Do what you have to do," The Judgment member took out a pair of handcuffs from a pocket in her skirt as she walked up to him. "But let me say this before you do it," Kamijou opened his eyes, making her stop. "I would never do anything to harm someone… And I mean it."

The girls with glasses stared at the boy; it seemed she was observing him cautiously. The brief silence was broken when she spoke.

"Tell me what happened then…" The girl said as she crossed her arms, the handcuffs still visible to his eyes.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Picture 02

* * *

The spiky-haired esper didn't expect her to give him a chance to explain himself, but if she offered it, he would take it.

"I was sitting on that bench while I waited for someone. Then I noticed something red in that bush..." He massaged the back of his neck, "Well, there _was _one there before the explosion. Anyway, I got closer to take look at it, it was a red elephant doll," Kamijou paused, before continuing with his explanation. "When I tried to touch it, it suddenly vibrated and transformed itself into a tiny ball that exploded. I don't have the slightest idea why it did, but that's what happened."

The Judgment girl walked past him and knelt before the half-destroyed bench. She remained silent as she looked around the affected zone. Kamijou guessed she was trying to find out the cause of this phenomenon.

"If you were that close, how come you weren't hurt?" The girl asked, still kneeling as she picked up some remains of the red doll, "Hmm... From what I see, the explosion did some damage, but there is this part that was unaffected."

Kamijou was struck speechless. He hadn't realized that until now. No wonder they were blaming him: after all, the culprit would probably not be affected by his own powers, right?

When Kamijou looked at the damaged area, he recognised Pacman's familiar form on the ground. The mouth was the place where he stood when he raised his hand to protect himself.

"Well… eh…"

"The other bushes should be burning right now," The girl adjusted her glasses and whispered something to herself, but Kamijou managed to hear her. "It's like the explosion was stopped and just disappeared…"

_(Shit!)_

The dark blue-haired girl stood up and turned around. She didn't say anything and just looked at him carefully. Her intense stare made Kamijou feel uncomfortable, like she was trying to see through him.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"What's your esper ability?" She suddenly asked, ignoring his previous question.

Kamijou blinked twice, surprised that the girl asked the question he hated answering. To explain his ability, which even he didn't understand very well, was always a pain in the ass. Kamijou remained silent, but in the time he spent choosing his words the girl spoke again.

"While I always try to avoid using my esper ability, I thought it was necessary and I used it, but it doesn't work on you…" The bespectacled girl narrowed her gaze, "Why is that?"

"You used it? What's your ability? If… you don't mind me asking." Kamijou said with hesitance.

The Judgment esper didn't respond. A couple of seconds passed and her silence continued as she decided: at least, that was what Kamijou thought.

"It's called 'Clairvoyance'." Unexpectedly, she answered. "It allows me to see through stuff like clothes, objects, people and the like."

"Like x-ray vision?" The girl nodded, "I see… So… you expected to find something on me that would prove I caused that explosion."

The girl nodded again. Her face was pretty serious; he had to be careful with what he said now. Getting out of this mess was his priority.

"Let's say that I can nullify the powers of other espers," He explained bluntly, "I negated that explosion before it spread in my direction."

The dark blue-haired girl blinked. She apparently didn't expect to hear that, and Kamijou could hardly blame her.

"A power that nullifies others…? I've never heard of such a thing before…" Her voice suddenly became cautious.

"I don't know much of it myself," He admitted without any care, "The only thing I understand is that it negates the supernatural, and if I managed to stop that explosion, it's because it was caused by an esper."

"So... like you nullified that explosion, you did the same with my power just now?" She mused a bit, a hand udner her chin, "How do you control that ability?" Another question was thrown at him.

"I can't really tell why your power didn't work on me," He shrugged his shoulders, glancing at his right hand, "I'm sure I did nothing to negate it," Kamijou half-lied to her.

While it was true that he did nothing to stop it, he did assume that his right hand was the cause. It was particularly confusing that only his right hand held his strange ability. It would have made sense if she'd managed to see through the other parts of his body, but this result was yet another layer to the mystery of the Imagine Breaker.

The girl frowned, "You didn't answer my question. How do you trigger your ability?" Her severe tone made Kamijou gulp.

The boy remained silent. He wanted to avoid the 'only my right hand negates a power' part.

Usually, an esper's ability could be activated in different ways, like with one's hands, eyes, brain and even with just your skin. There were others that needed some kind of device to be able to trigger it, but those were uncommon cases. But with Kamijou and the Imagine Breaker, it was different and perhaps unique. Why does only his right hand hold that power? Why not his left hand as well? And worst of it all… why did a level 0 have such an ability?

Kamijou glanced at the bespectacled girl with glasses before averting his eyes. He could she was seemingly becoming irritated by his recalcitrance.

In that moment, a voice came from Kamijou's left side, attracting both the girl's and his attention to it.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Song 02

* * *

"Oh? Kamijou and Konori together? I didn't see that one coming… but now that she is here, this should accelerate things a bit."

Yomikawa-sensei couldn't have shown up at a better time. Kamijou was saved from his predicament in the one good bit of luck he'd had today. The woman in question wore a gray striped tanktop, black jeans, and athletic shoes that matched it.

"Yomikawa-san? What are you doing here?" The girl called Konori was clearly surprised, "And… do you know him?"

The woman smiled and nodded. Suddenly that feeling of good luck faded, and Kamijou had a premonition that something ridiculously bad was going to happen.

"Yeah, I know him," Yomikawa grinned, turning to the boy, the expression on her face increasing his foreboding. "He's volunteering to join Judgment's ranks."

"WHAT?" Both students shouted in unison.

Kamijou was shocked; he didn't remember volunteering to join Judgment at all.

_(Why did Yomikawa-sensei say that? What is that woman thinking?)_

"W-wa-wait there, sensei!" He stammered in disbelief, "When did I say wanted to join Judgment?"

"You already forgot? In that alley… don't you remember?" The sly smile the woman sported clearly gave him the message. _(Yomikawa's plan was this? To make me join Judgment? Why? Why on earth she would want that?)_

The unfortunate boy was at loss of words. He couldn't think of anything to respond to his evil sensei.

"He wants to join Judgment?" The girl's eyes were on him again, "You should have told me so from the beginning."

Kamijou wondered if this was some kind of twisted evil plan to make his life even more miserable. He knew well that joining the Disciplinary Committee would not only limit his free time, but also that he would be obligated to do tons of stuff he would rather avoid.

"Hmm? That explosion I heard… was that…?"

"Yes, another graviton incident. Fortunately, no one was hurt," Konori glanced at Kamijou. "I think we can thank him for that…"

Yomikawa turned to the speechless boy as she put one had on her hip.

"So you did it again, I guess," The busty woman said as she put her other hand on Kamijou's left shoulder, "But still as reckless as before."

Kamijou sighed. He didn't plan to stop that explosion: it had just happened, and he only was there to stop it by fluke. Although he ruefully acknowledged if someone could have been hurt by it, he would have done the same anyway.

Kamijou knew this was going to be a huge commitment he felt very unwilling to endure. Right now he just wanted a good long rest, so a quick escape would do the trick.

"Sensei, Konori-san… I have to leave. Good day to you two," Kamijou stepped back, slipping free of his sensei's grip. Both females blinked, confusion painted on their faces that he didn't give a damn about, "I'm way too tired and I need to hit the sack. Good bye!"

Kamijou ran to the bench and grabbed his 'not-affected-by-the-explosion' school bag. Without even looking at them he ran as fast as his legs could take him. He heard Yomikawa calling but he ignored her and headed for his dorm at high speed. Once again, Kamijou found himself narrowly escaping a horrible fate.

Hopefully, the tranquillity he sought to find would finally come to him when he arrived at the place he called home.

**PART 5**

Kamijou was terribly exhausted and was sweating heavily. The long race he made from the Furiai Plaza had taken its toll. The carrier of the Imagine Breaker supported himself with the door that led to his home as he caught his breath. Not even the minutes he waited inside the elevator were enough to regain his wind. He had never felt this drained before.

Several minutes passed and Kamijou finally decided to enter his dorm.

The dorm was as he left it, thankfully. A couple of times someone had broken in and moved all his stuff, but never stole anything. Oddly, the door was also never forced, so he suspected the culprit came in through the balcony.

Kamijou tried to figure out what this occasional criminal wanted from his belongings but it was useless. He had no idea what someone would want from him. If it wasn't his pocket change, his manga or the TV, then what was it? He had nothing of special value.

Ignoring the problem for now Kamijou entered the kitchen and opened the fridge, taking a can of cold orange juice from it. He was glad to see it wasn't empty; his limited supplies would serve until his next allowance came in.

The thirsty boy opened the can and downed its contents. One refreshing beverage later, Kamijou entered the bath for a shower, to wash away the grime of the day.

But before removing any clothes, the boy looked at the mirror in the bath and sighed. He was a total mess, and his appearance reflected his mental state. He was worried, and he knew that the Judgment 'problem' would not end there. He never imagined something like that happening to him… _(To join Judgment? ) _He was not insane, and would never agree to that.

Kamijou shook his head; more worry wouldn't do any good, so he directed his tired eyes to the shower. But even if he tried to shrug it off, the anxiety just wouldn't wash away.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou opened his eyes.

Some damn noise had awakened him and it wasn't stopping. He quickly realised that someone was knocking on his door.

At first he lay in bed, hoping it would go away in his simply gray pajamas. The knocking sound was heard again together with the ring bell, making him twitch an eyebrow in exasperation.

"For heaven's sake! I can't catch a break!" The boy yelled to no one as he got out of the bed. His eyes fell on the only thing in the whole room, besides his TV, that could show him the time of the day; his trusty cell phone, lying on his coffee table.

Upon opening it, the screen showed 8:10 pm. _(Why would someone come this late?)_

Again, the sounds of someone knocking the door were heard, shaping a tick mark on the tired level 0's brow.

"I'm coming, damn it!" He shouted as he stumbled to the entrance, turning on the lights before doing so. The boy stopped before the door and yawned, the sound of his steps apparently silencing the continuous knocks, "Who is it?" Kamijou simply asked with a stern voice but no response came, "I said, who is it?"

"No need to get all grumpy" A female voice came through the door, "It's me, Yomikawa."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow. He could hardly believe his sensei's… determination? He hoped her visit wasn't about the Judgment thing, though there still was the matter about those delinquents.

"Sensei, I was sleeping. Couldn't just we talk tomorrow? It's kind of late, you know?" Kamijou replied, trying to sound tired.

"I'm sorry, Kamijou, but you left so suddenly and we didn't manage to talk… Aren't you going to open the door?" Yomikawa seemed undeterred and unsympathetic.

_(How many times am I going to sigh this day?) _After doing so, he unwillingly opened the door. Yomikawa was still in the outfit he saw her wearing earlier, but now wore an additional dark green jacket.

"I'm not really up for this, sensei," He confessed with contempt, "I'm really tired."

"I know you are, considering what you've been through this day, but this is really important," Yomikawa said, her face showed a soft expression.

"...Well... If you say it's important, then come on in."

The woman blinked before making a sly smile, which made Kamijou feel a bit nervous for some reason, "You don't have a problem with me coming in?" She asked hesitantly.

He averted his gaze aside, "...It's not like we're going to talk about anything really important, right?" Sarcasm dripped from his tone, yet changed Yomikawa's sly smile into a kind one.

"Right…"

Kamijou stepped to the side, allowing Yomikawa to enter his dorm. The woman looked around the place before giving him a glance.

"Just make yourself at home," The boy said as he walked to the kitchen. "Want something to drink?"

The woman entered and closed the door behind her while removing her shoes, leaving them in the entrance. Kamijou couldn't read what was on her mind at that moment. Her face betrayed no emotion.

"…Sensei?"

"Oh, yeah. But…" She blinked, returning to normal, "I don't think you have beer so a cold juice will do."

"Is everything ok? You seem like your mind is somewhere else," Kamijou was a bit concerned; Yomikawa had dark circles under her eyes.

The busty woman was seemingly startled by his question, but smiled after some seconds passed, "I'm sorry. I've been doing some investigations for a case this past days, and I haven't slept well lately… but thanks for asking."

"The graviton incidents Konori-san mentioned?" He inquired, her reaction proving him right.

"Yes," The woman admitted, "We haven't made much progress on it…" She sighed wearily, "Anyway, Kamijou, why did you leave so suddenly?"

Kamijou took two cans of grape soda from the fridge and moved to the main room, sitting on the carpeted floor beside the short table in the middle. Yomikawa did the same as she removed her jacket, giving Kamijou the fabulous sight of her striking assets under that tight tanktop.

Kamijou did his best to avoid looking at her body and concentrated his gaze on the table. Having her notice his stare would only make things weird: they were alone after all, and in his bedroom no less.

"I distinctly remembered I had some homework to do, so that's why I left... If I had gotten sleepy before doing it, that would have been a problem, don't you think?" Kamijou was prepared; ever since Yomikawa made her presence known, he had planned a good excuse for his earlier actions in the Plaza.

"I see... Though the whole point of us meeting there was ruined if you were planning to run away like that... Not that it matters now, I suppose," Yomikawa opened her can and took a sip of her soda.

The spiky-haired boy expected her to say something else, but she chose to remain silent as they sipped their drinks.

"So... what was this important thing we needed to discuss?" The boy asked. An uncomfortable silence in these circumstances would just suck. He needed to make things quick before his bad luck had a chance to screw things up again.

The woman glanced at him before taking another sip of her grape soda.

"I have some questions about your confrontation with the thugs."

Kamijou was not surprised in the slightest. He recalled what she told him in that dark alleyway, and he still needed Yomikawa to be on his side. With her as a possible ally, things could work much easier for him. While he always tried to avoid telling anything about himself to anyone, there was no use in hiding any info right now, much less lying about it.

"I see... Go ahead then, ask me whatever you want."

Kamijou finally opened his soda can as the busty sensei nodded, taking a long sip of its contents. She apparently was willing to wait for him, because she spoke again in the instant he put the can on the table.

"Did you really stop the fire with just your hand?"

_(Directly to the point, I see.)_

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Song 03

* * *

"Yes. For some reason, my right hand negates supernatural abilities when it makes contact with them," Kamijou answered truthfully, raising the mentioned part of his body. "Don't ask me why, I don't even know myself."

"You don't know?" Yomikawa questioned.

"Yeah. This power can't be detected or measured." He elaborated, "The Power Curriculum Program marked my esper abilities as non-existent, but this ability has been with me ever since I was born, I think."

The woman looked unconvinced; Kamijou would need to be a little more persuasive if he wanted to make her his ally and maybe his confidant.

"So you are a gemstone?" She asked.

Kamijou blinked in confusion. _(What did she just call me?)_

"You don't know what a Gemstone is?" It appeared she read his face well; Kamijou only nodded. "Gemstones are espers that obtained their abilities without them going through the Power Curriculum Program. You must emit a larger amount of AIM then."

"You mean… the AIM all espers emit? Well… How can I say this…?" Kamijou tried to find the words to make the truth seem more believable, but was forced to give up. "It's just that I… I don't emit AIM, so I guess I can't be a Gemstone."

**Gemstone** was indeed the closest term to describe what he, and what Imagine Breaker, was, but in the end it appeared he wasn't one. He did not emit AIM at all for some reason. It could be possible that his right hand negated his own AIM Field, which would explain its absence, but that was just a hypothesis.

_(The AIM fields… I think I missed that class… good for me Internet exists…)_

**An Involuntary Movement** or **AIM** was the term used to refer to the phenomenon in which an esper involuntarily produced an invisible energy field around themselves. The aggregation of that energy created an energy field called the **AIM Dispersion Field**. This could only be detected by machines, though.

"You don't emit AIM? How is that possible? You're an esper!" Yomikawa's voice increased in volume.

"I know it doesn't make any sense but that's how it is. I wish I could tell you something more about it but that's all I know," Kamijou spoke as seriously as he could.

Yomikawa didn't speak a word after that, looking shocked. _(Is it really that big of a deal?)_

"I'm some sort of weird case, I know, but I don't really mind it," Kamijou's face softened, his tone reassuring. "Although there's a possibility that my right hand just nullifies the AIM I produce, who could know? I certainly don't."

"Well, that would make a bit of sense, but that hand..." Yomikawa directed her eyes to his face. "Could you let me examine it?"

The young student made a dumb expression and nodded slowly, extending his hand towards the woman. Yomikawa first observed it, then grabbed it with both her hands. The direct contact was embarrassing, so he averted his gaze to the roof to avoid making eye contact with her while she touched it. The woman with dark blue hair continued to examine it for a few minutes longer.

"It just looks like a regular hand," Yomikawa finally said while letting go of it. "Why would a level 0 have this kind of ability? It's pretty unsettling."

"Tell me about it," Kamijou snorted.

Yomikawa stared at the table; she looked like as if she was gathering her thoughts for her next inquiry, "The gunshots… if I remember correctly, you said that you made them? None of them had bullet wounds."

"I did make them, but that was after I managed to take hold of their pistol, which they used against me first," He replied after yawning.

He wondered why an amused smile spread across her face at that. He had expected her to say that his actions were reckless as she usually did.

"How come you weren't hurt?" Yomikawa said as she rested her elbows on the table, hands supporting her face.

"I happened to find a piece of metal lying on the ground, so I thought it would help me in some way, but I never expected I would use it to protect myself from gunshots."

"I see… You were lucky I guess..." Kamijou snorted again. "So I suppose your plan was to intercept them in that narrow alley, so you could take them down one by one and they couldn't gang up on you."

Kamijou made an amused smile of his own, raising both eyebrows a bit. Yomikawa understood his plan to deal with them pretty quickly; she was a member of Anti-skill after all.

"Pretty much, yeah," The boy confirmed. "Oh... I used the pistol to make noise so Anti Skill could find us," She smiled, tilting her head as he continued. "The last shots were directed at the sky."

Yomikawa grabbed her drink and took a sip of it, and Kamijou did the same with his.

"I have one more question…" She looked at him intently, "Why did you decide to intervene at all?"

The boy was expecting that question. Even he had questioned his choice, but in the end he just wanted to stop those bastards from hurting more people. No matter how many times he ended up in dangerous situations, his goal would always be to aid anyone in need.

"While this may sound a bit of an incomplete answer to you, I'm still gonna say it," Kamijou took a moment to choose the words that would express his true feelings, "There was no real reason. I just did because I wanted to help," Kamijou closed his eyes, lowering his head a bit. "When stuff like this happens, it doesn't matter who helps in the end... Even though this time it was me, if everyone is safe and happy in the end, that's all that matters… right?"

The boy opened his eyes and looked straight at her. He didn't know what kind of expression he wore at that moment, but it made his sensei smile brightly.

"I guess you are going to keep doing this despite what I say…" She said and raised an eyebrow.

Kamijou Touma, the unfortunate teenager that held the mysterious power that could negate even the blessings of God, just nodded.

The woman put her hands in the floor behind her to support her body and lowered her eyes, a pretty smile still on her face. Kamijou never expected to see this kind of expression on her, but he was glad he was there to see it.

"I see... I got to admit you are one of a kind..." A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

Kamijou scratched the back of his head, not sure of what she truly meant by that. As he stared at his silent sensei, he couldn't help but to make an amused smile as he thought how his meeting in that alley had lead him to know Yomikawa better. Despite the mature and serious personality she always exhibited back in school, Yomikawa has shown him today that she was a playful and kind woman. He was impressed by her depth.

Suddenly he realized he could trust her, that no matter what he told her, she would help him. Silly it may be, having only really interacted with her since this morning, but her eyes showed that she was someone he could rely on.

"That's why you are going to join Judgment," The busty woman spoke in a ridiculous relaxed manner.

"What?" Kamijou blinked several times, no words came from him for a minute. "T-that again?"

Yomikawa grinned.

"So that's the real reason, huh? You escaped from me because I told Konori that."

Kamijou was struck speechless again. This woman kept reading him like he was an open book. Kamijou found a new kind of fear in women that day.

"What are you talking about? I told you that I had some homework to-" The boy stopped himself. His sensei was intensely staring at him; that sly smile making him feel really annoyed. The boy sighed, finally admitting it was useless to keep up the charade. "Yeah…"

Yomikawa smirked, "Why are you that scared of joining Judgment? It's not like they are going to kill you any faster than you can manage on your own." The woman chuckled.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes and averted his gaze to his TV. Kamijou didn't even know where to start his list of reasons to stay away from them. If he had wanted to join their ranks, he would have done so a long time ago.

"I just don't want to… And I have barely any free time to waste with them," Kamijou knew he was lying: he didn't even have a club to attend to after classes, but right now he didn't care.

"Well, there're a lot of benefits for students who join Judgment," Yomikawa commented with amusement, "You could skip some classes, stay in the streets past curfew… but I think you already do that."

"A teacher is not supposed to say something like that to students, you know!" Kamijou shouted comically, but he wasn't rewarded for his efforts.

Yomikawa's expression suddenly shifted, becoming fiercely stern.

"You think that I'm going to let you keep doing this without having people to support you?" Her tone was determined, "Not a chance."

"Sensei, you just can't make me join," Kamijou growled, bothered by her insistence.

"I can't..." She shrugged her shoulders with a half-hearted expression on her face, "But I still have some cards to put on the table."

Kamijou gulped. He knew that whatever she was going to say, it was not going to be good.

"You can continue doing what you do after you become a member of Judgment or I'll call your parents to inform them about your 'hobbies' if I see you doing more reckless stuff," She warned, voice sharp, "…and you will be monitored until you do join, I assure you."

The way she said it made pretty clear to him that she wasn't joking. Now he had to choose between the better of two bad options, however much of a choice that really was. If he wanted to keep protecting people, he really had no alternative than to accept her offer. He could never let his parents know about his habits in Academy City.

Kamijou put one hand under his chin as he thought carefully. He had to be sure of his answer, and completely so. The course of his entire life depended on this choice; he could not take this decision lightly.

"So… what's your call?" Yomikawa finally asked.

Kamijou stared at the woman in front of him, fully facing her. He had already made up his mind, but he needed to steel himself for the responsibility his future would hold after his next words.

"Fine… I'll join Judgment…"

_(There, I've said it. Please don't let the sky fall on me.)_ His sensei only smiled at his obvious reluctance, hearing the answer she had hoped for.

"Such misfortune…" The boy murmured as he took the grape soda can to his lips.

"That settles it then," She flashed him a smile. "Tomorrow I will help you do the paperwork for your recruitment to Judgment."

The woman stood up and looked around his dorm room. She then turned to the still sitting spiky-haired boy, who couldn't keep from sighing every few seconds.

"Where's the clock…? I wonder..." Yomikawa said out loud.

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, taking his cell from the left pocket of his pajama pants and flipping it open.

"I don't have a wall clock right know but my cell says it's 10:06," He was startled, "Wow... it's pretty late already."

By the surprised expression on her face, Kamijou guessed she wasn't expecting that as well. The woman picked up her jacket.

"Damnit! Oh! Sorry for that," Yomikawa apologized as she covered her mouth. "It's too late! I didn't expect that our conversation would take this long, I should have brought my car..."

"Well, if you want you can stay here while I will call a tax-"

Her eyes widened, her voice interrupting his.

"You are offering me to pass here the night?" She asked with a surprised tone.

"Wha-wha-what!?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Song 04

* * *

Neither of them said a word for a couple of minutes.

"But now that I think about it, it's actually a good idea," The busty woman said to herself, pounding her fist onto her palm. "I mean… to head back to my place at this hour without my vehicle would be kind of dangerous, even for a member of Anti-skill."

"But what I was trying to say was that you could stay here while I call-"

"It's decided then. Do you have an extra bed or are we going to share yours?" The bold woman asked shamelessly, interrupting him again. For some reason Kamijou suspected she was doing it on purpose, but couldn't imagine why. Was staying at his place that convenient for her or it was something else?

"Wa-wait there, sensei! Are you serious? You… you are just joking… right?" Kamijou hoped she was, but the way she was making herself comfortable did nothing to ease his mind.

Yomikawa shook her head, an amused expression painted on her face, "What... can't I sleep here? Your bed is big enough for the two of us. If you were at my house, I would let you stay there."

"That's not the point!" Kamijou shouted as he waved his arms dismissively, "A sensei sleeping with her student is just wrong! You should know that! It's like… common sense!"

Yomikawa blinked innocently before grinning, with one hand was on her chin and the other on her hip. She stared at him for some seconds before responding.

"It is wrong, but it's not like something is gonna happen between us, is it?" She looked at him stoically, lowering her head, "Don't forget I'm your teacher, so it is my responsibility to take care of you. Think of it as just two friends sleeping together if you are more comfortable with that."

"Sensei, stop messing around, let me just call a t-"

"No need to call me sensei when we're out of school. Just call me Yomikawa, or even Aiho, I don't really mind," She grinned.

Kamijou facepalmed as he suppressed a sigh. (_What the heck was her problem? Man, she was being way too playful!)_ Was the woman in front of him right now the real Yomikawa he knew, always driving her students to excel?

"You're just making things weirder, sensei," Kamijou commented with a weak voice.

"Why are _you_ making a big deal of it?"

"Because it is a big deal!" Kamijou shouted as he grabbed his head with both hands.

Yomikawa stretched herself as she turned around, and Kamijou couldn't avoid looking at her pretty well-formed body. He desperately wanted to not let himself get carried away, as a virile young man.

"So, where is the bathroom? I want to take a quick shower."

That didn't help his situation,"Don't ignore me, sensei. You seriously think you can stay here?" He sighed in defeat, raising his arms up high. "Don't blame if you get into trouble for doing it, I'll wash my hands of this."

The grin on her didn't change in the slightest after his words, as if she didn't care at all.

"Don't worry, no one needs to know," Yomikawa winked as her sly smile returned. For some reason, it seemed far more intimidating than before. "This will be our little secret."

The poor boy expelled air as dramatically as he could. This day was indeed one of the worst he ever had, now that even his own home wasn't safe. Kamijou gave up. It appeared that no matter what he said, Yomikawa would stay here. The teenager raised a hand, his index pointing at the door in front of the kitchen.

"That door leads to the bathroom."

Yomikawa looked in its direction after nodding. Without saying anything else, she walked up to it and entered, leaving Kamijou alone.

_(What now? How are we going to sleep? I should have bought a futon... There is no way I'm going to sleep in the same bed as her. Geez… the floor will have to do...)_

Kamijou first planned to sleep on the bathtub, but now that Yomikawa was currently using it, it would be wet. He quickly discarded it from his choices as he searched in his mind for a better solution to his absurd ordeal.

_(…What now…?)_

**PART 6**

Several minutes passed bathroom door was still locked. Tired of waiting, Kamijou rose to his feet and headed to his apartment's entrance, snatching up his keys. He donned his shoes and opened the door, walking outside after sighing again. He needed some air: some very cold air, to prepare for the night ahead.

Going for a walk at this hour wasn't a good idea so he decided to just wander the passage way outside his seventh floor residence.

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Song 05

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Kamijou breathed deeply, but no sooner had he taken two steps to his dorm, did he notice a half-opened door.

_(...This door...)_

It belonged to the dorm of his neighbor and friend Tsuchimikado, but there was no reason for it to be open. A chill went down his back as he got closer to it, each step resounding in the empty hall.

The cautious boy stopped before it. No light came from inside.

Kamijou gulped. _(What is this? Could this be a robber...? Or something worse...) _He hoped it was neither.

The silence became unbearable as darkness surrounding him deepened. The few lights in the ceiling did little to break the dense atmosphere.

Kamijou spent a brief moment lost in indecision. He could call Yomikawa, but if Tsuchimikado or Maika _(Tsuchimikado's _step sister) were hurt, he couldn't afford to waste a single moment. With their lives possibly in danger, his next course of action was pretty clear.

The Imagine-Breaker boy readied himself for the worst and raised a hand to push the door. Suddenly, before his hand could even touch it, the door opened by itself.

Kamijou stepped back, surprised into inaction. A white face with red eyes peered out from darkness that enveloped the Tsuchimikado residence.

He stood there, paralyzed. He couldn't move, couldn't breath; time itself stopped. The white face became clearer in the light of the passageway.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 01 Section: Picture 03

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_(Wait... I've seen that face before...)_

"You..." An emotionless voice came from strangely familiar girl, wearing her familiar costume…

Kamijou blinked in surprise as it finally came to him. It was the girl from the Maid Café. She was the one that gave him the cleaning tools and scared the crap out of him. The girl's piercing stare gave him a strong urge to run, and not look back.

"Why are you here, Goshujin-sama?" Her dry voice echoed, each word dropping in the cool night like lead down a deep well.

An unexpected light turned on deeper inside his friends room. It was lit by yet another girl dressed as a maid, with short dark-blue hair with matching eyes.

"Kamijou Touma?" The newcomer girl addressed him, voice cheerful and relaxed. Her calm spread to the boy, because he knew at least this maid fairly well.

It was Tsuchimikado's step sister, **Maika**, a maid-in-training that had illuminated the situation.

"Hey, eh… what's going on…?" He asked, his voice was weak due to the icy stare being directed at him by the black-haired girl.

"I was just going to ask you the same. Is something wrong?" Maika asked, tilting her head innocently to the side.

Kamijou shook his head, finally letting his body relax completely despite the dark presence at his side. He smiled at her.

"No, it's okay. I…" He hesitated, "I just thought something happened because I saw your door opened, but I guess everything is fine."

Maika seemed startled for a second before she glanced at the scary girl.

"Oh? I haven't introduced you two yet. This is Kurosawa Kimiko, a friend from my class," The scary girl bowed to him slowly. "This is Kam-"

"Kamijou Touma…" The crimson-eyed girl interrupted Maika. The way she said his name made the unfortunate teenager gulp.

"Oh... yeah. You heard me calling him that... Teehee! That was pretty dumb of me," Maika giggled, the expression on her face rather cute.

Kamijou looked behind both girls; there was no sign Tsuchimikado himself was home. _(What were those two doing inside without any light turned on?) _Maybe it was something related to the scary maid called **Kurosawa Kimiko**.

"Your brother is here?" Kamijou asked, eyes falling back onto the little kawaii maid.

"Nope, he called to tell that he would be staying with a friend for a study session."

Kamijou frowned. Tsuchimikado was staying with a friend? Was that friend Aogami? Since when did those two decide to have study sessions? Kamijou couldn't avoid getting suspicious, but chose to forget about it. It would do no good to him or Maika to get worried about anything.

"I guess I'll head back to my place then. Be careful with leaving the doors open, Maika. You don't want strangers entering at your room while you sleep," Kamijou advised her. He made a note that from this day onward, he would make sure she did just that.

"There is no need to worry. I will protect her and kill anyone who dares to do anything to her…" Kurosawa said darkly, seemingly unaware of how strange that boast sounded.

And yet... _(...Why do I have the feeling that she's not joking...?)_

"Ok, ok. I guess I was kind of careless... I promise it's not gonna happen again," Maika pouted. "Please, don't tell Onii-chan."

"I will not say a word, so long as you keep that promise." Kamijou said between chuckles, amused by the girls un-maidlike behaviour despite his disquiet.

Maika smiled brightly and grabbed Kurosawa by the hand, pulling her inside. While she did that, the black-haired maid kept her gaze locked on Kamijou. He was grateful when the door closed.

He scratched the back of his head, reorganizing his thoughts. In the course of the day he had met all sorts of people. Some crazy, some bad, and most highly annoying. He wondered if this city attracted egocentric people. Perhaps they just made good espers.

The boy walked back to his dorm, having gotten enough 'cold air' from the chilling personality of Maika's classmate. The only thing he wanted was a good sleep, and with all that happened during this day he felt he deserved one.

Kamijou opened the door that he unlocked. He then walked to the bathroom's door and knocked twice.

"Sensei, are you still in there?" The boy asked, wondering how long it had been since he left.

No answer came, so he opened the door. As expected it was empty, so the boy turned around. _(Where is she...?) _Unexpectedly she came into view. Kamijou's jaw fell to ground instantly.

Yomikawa was only wearing a towel that barely covered her. Kamijou had thought she would be kind of muscular, but from what he _could _see, his sensei had what he considered the 'perfect body'. It was an alluring sight, and while he felt very tempted to do something stupid, he managed to control himself and turned around completely.

While the girl he saw earlier had an impressive body, he couldn't describe what he felt seeing Yomikawa's body. There was an almost naked, sexy woman inside his very own dorm and they were alone. Even in his wildest dreams, this would be absurd.

"S-S-Sensei! Put on something!" He stammered nervously.

"I already told you, just call me Yomikawa," The woman said to him, and the sound of her approaching footsteps made the nervous boy gulp.

"Just put on something!" The boy shouted without looking back, trying to inch away.

"What? You can't handle seeing such a beautiful woman with just a towel on her? That's pretty cute," He knew she was just teasing him again, but there wasn't much he could about it… aside from fleeing.

Kamijou slammed open the bathroom door and rushed in. He swore he heard Yomikawa laughing as he did.

"You better not do 'something' inside after what you saw," The woman said aloud mockingly, and the boy blushed deeply.

"Like I would!" Kamijou understood her 'message', shouting back.

The anxious level 0 esper leaned his back against the door, sliding down it until he reached the bottom. He remained there, sitting on the ground as he calmed down.

_(That woman is freaking crazy!)_

Some minutes passed while the boy heard the sounds of television that his sensei had turned on. Now that she was making herself at home, the idea of sleeping in a wet bathtub didn't sound too bad. He only needed some towels to dry it a bit…

"Kamijou! Hey Kamijou! I really hope you are not doing 'that' with your…"

"I'm not freaking doing anything!" Kamijou was irritated at how hard it was to calm down while she kept teasing him.

The woman remained silent for a couple of minutes as Kamijou crossed his arms with eyes shut and a bothered expression, waiting for her to talk.

"Are you angry, Kamijou-kun? You know I was just joking, right?" Her tone indicated that her teasing was over. "Don't forget I'm still your teacher."

_(You make it really hard.) _Kamijou let out an exasperated sigh and stood up, opening the door. To his relief, Yomikawa was now wearing clothes, although her chosen shirt actually belonged to him. Her long legs were bare, but his pajama reached her upper thigh, covering her underwear. _(At least, that's assuming she's wearing some...)_

"While I should mention you shouldn't be moving my stuff around, much less using it, I won't complain about it," Kamijou's face was carefully neutral. "Let's make things easy for the both of us. I will sleep in the bath and you'll take the bed."

"There's no way I'm letting you sleep there," She argued, "You take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor, I just need some sheets," The woman commanded.

Kamijou shook his head, "Just take the bed, sensei. I'll be fine."

Yomikawa crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at him blankly, "I will not accept you sleeping anywhere but in bed," Her dry tone suggested that she wouldn't concede the matter, but neither would he.

Kamijou's eyes tightened. His sensei will take the bed whether she liked it or not.

"You are the guest, so take the bed," Even he noticed that his voice was sharp.

Both student and teacher glared at each other, having reached an impasse.

"Then there's only one way we can solve this..." Yomikawa said with a serious tone. Kamijou prepared himself for her argument. Whatever she was going to suggest, he would be ready.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou had not been ready.

The nervous boy lay in bed, like Yomikawa wanted.

So did his sensei… like he wanted. Or thought he had.

Much to Kamijou's dismay, a long discussion resulted in them sharing the bed. The boy was pretty sure having an attractive woman sleeping at his side was going to cause some difficulties. Namely, he would not be sleeping at all.

It had been 40 minutes since they had lain down together on his somewhat spacious bed. Yomikawa's even breathing only furthered his anxiousness.

"Fukou da…" Kamijou whispered, turning to stare at a blessedly boring and not sexy white wall.

The unfortunate boy was glad that this nightmarish day was finally coming to an end, but knew it was going to be a really long night before it actually happened.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Do tell me your thoughts should you have them. ****Have the best of days.**

**\- Frank**


	3. The LAST Gate Of HEAVEN

**This chapter took longer than expected, but it's finally done. Thanks to "Diller", "PupsIsMyDog" and "Major Major Major Major" for Beta reading it.**

**I do have a clear direction of where I want to take this story, in fact, I already have in mind how it's gonna end, something that I think is the key to avoid a story deviating from want you first planned. I'll stick to the canon though, until I know that the right conditions had been settled to start the end of this story.**

**As always, open a tab to my profile, enter the one from ANROM and search in this chapter's section for the images and recommended songs.**

**\- Frank**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 02: The Illusionist bestows Might: The_LAST-Gate of_HEAVEN**

**PART 1**

_(Such disappointment…)_

Kamijou stared at the same roof he was yesterday, thinking that it would have been interesting if real life was like manga.

In his manga, he could have awakened to the sight of an almost nude female body sleeping at his side. A beautiful body belonging to his Sensei, Yomikawa Aiho. At any point during the night, she might have hugged him, half-asleep. Kamijou would have had no choice but to grin and bear it stoically.

But nothing like that ever happened to someone who desired and deserved it. Much less if you took into account the luck of a certain individual.

It has been 5 minutes since the boy had awoken from his slumber, when he had found himself alone. The woman that slept next to him last night had already left, a sad state of affairs confirmed by the little note on top of his short table.

The boy sat up in bed, and noticed a stain on the upper part of his shirt. The boy examined it, discovering it was just a wet spot, as if some drops of water fell upon it. He couldn't recall getting out of bed, and it wasn't that humid today. The only explanation that came to his mind was…

_(Yomikawa...)_

Maybe she drank a glass of water sitting on the bed, and she accidentally let some of it fall on his shirt.

Or it might have been something else.

"It would have been kind of awkward if… but who cares!" Kamijou shouted as he slid out of the bed, sitting on the carpeted floor. He sighed wearily as he glanced again at the little piece of paper resting on the table's surface.

The unfortunate teenager tried to reorganize his thoughts. Yesterday was a day he would have wanted to forget, as impossible as that was; his bad luck had put him into a parade of annoying, embarrassing, dangerous, and flat-out ridiculous situations. Worst of all, he had accepted the brutal conditions of his sensei, who he now considered an attractive but annoying witch.

_(Fine… I will join Judgment…)_

Those words hurt his head every time they floated through his mind. They hurt even more than the procedures he had to endure during the damnable Power Curriculum Program, and all the pharmaceutics, neuroscience, and cerebral physiology that was part of it. Yet, he would undergo the power program again than joining that organization.

"This is way too much misfortune, dammit…" The boy murmured, finally reading to the bottom of the note Yomikawa left.

**Before going to classes, meet me at the Teacher's office. I made you a Bento, don't forget to take it with you. Yomikawa-chan**

_(...Chan?)_

Kamijou glanced at his kitchen. There was indeed a prepared Bento over the microwave. Yomikawa must have awakened really early for her to prepare it before leaving.

_(What time is it?)_

The boy looked around the room and finally found his cell at the left side of the TV. He stretched his arm to grab it, flicking it open.

"8:17…" Kamijou blinked twice. "…8:17!? It's freaking late!"

It was no wonder that he woke up this late. The fault lay squarely on the shoulders of a certain woman who decided to pass the night in his dorm.

Kamijou scrambled up and headed to the bath to take a shower, but almost slipped on the wet floor.

"Dammit, that woman…" He cursed as he tried to maintain his balance.

Kamijou stepped slowly over the slippery ground, stripping in the process.

"A cold shower will have to do," The boy was still tired; he knew cold water would shake the weariness from his body.

After it, Kamijou hurriedly stuffed his school bag with books and the bento Yomikawa made, pulling on his clothes in a mad scurry.

Finally in his summer uniform, the level 0 esper darted from his dorm.

**o-0-O-0-o**

_(Darn it! At this rate, I won't make it in time!)_

The teenager had been running non-stop since exiting his Dormitory's elevator. Kamijou found himself dancing on the spot as the street lights changed, but the wait seemed endless.

"Gimme a walk signal already!" He shouted pointlessly, frustration growing as his patience shrunk.

Finally, red changed to the green of hope, and Kamijou pressed forward without delay.

As he tore his way through the packs of ambling students walking Academy City's streets, he couldn't help but wonder why he was the only one in a hurry. It was 8:26 and all schools in Academy City closed their gates in four minutes, so why didn't everyone else care?

Kamijou slowed his pace and breathed deeply. It was useless; no matter how much he ran he wouldn't' make it, it was just too damn late. Deciding he wouldn't give into pressure; Kamijou began to walk like everyone else was.

The boy entered a park where a certain vending machine was located, and with his newfound lackadaisical attitude decided he would get a drink. He had been running quite a bit after all, so a refreshing beverage was in order.

The boy stopped before the machine and took out a 100 yen coin, jamming it inside. Kamijou pressed the button that labelled green melon soda, and soon, the sound of a can tumbling out was heard, which was music to his ears.

He leaned over a bit to grasp his order, but upon touching the can, its heat burned his fingers.

"Ouch! It's hot!? Why is it hot? I ordered a cold melon soda! …Why is it hot?" Kamijou lent closer to the machine opening: Apparently, his can wasn't the melon soda he ordered, but instead hot chocolate, "This machine is broken or something? Geez… 100 yen wasted for nothing!"

Kamijou scratched his head in a bid to suppress his anger. A hot drink in unbearable summer weather would not do at all, and he was unexpectedly thirsty. He totally forgot to get a drink from his fridge in his rush to make it to school.

"Here, take this…"

A voice called his attention and he turn to face its source. To his surprise, a brown-haired guy was offering him a strawberry soda.

"…Eh… What?"

"Here, take it. You are thirsty, aren't you?" The boy raised the hand that held the soda closer to his face.

Kamijou blinked in confusion, not recognising the newcomer. By his appearance, he seemed to be in his twenty's, wearing mature black pants and shoes together with a white shirt.

"I am… thanks…" Kamijou said as he reluctantly accepted the cool beverage.

Kamijou opened the soda can and took it to his lips, but he stopped himself from drinking its contents as his eyes widened. He hadn't noticed until now that something was wrong with this person. More exactly, it was his eyes that were the problem; they looked exactly like the ones of that girl. They were literally starry-eyed and he knew well what that meant.

"I appreciate your concern, Shokuhou…san, but I don't want it," The boy's tone cooled.

The man in front of him pouted in a disturbing way, at odds with his professional appearance.

"Oh… but you were just complaining about that can you got so I…"

"Stop it!" Kamijou cut him off, "This poor person here must have some stuff to do, so leave him be already."

The man remained silent for some seconds before pouting again.

"Are you still mad…? I already told you I was sor-"

The man never finished his sentence as the Illusion breaker touched his head. A high-pitched sound was heard and the man's expression changed to one of clear confusion.

"Eh…? Where am I…?" The man looked frantically around him.

Kamijou sighed. That girl was at it again. Even when he told her to not do it, she just wouldn't learn. This poor man who now seemed lost was just being controlled by her, the **Queen of Tokiwadai**.

**Shokujou Misaki** was her name; she was one of the seven level 5 espers in AC. She was also known as **'Mental Out**' due to her Mind altering abilities. The unfortunate boy didn't know the full extent of her power, but he had seen her read minds, control a person, transplant or eliminate memories, and completely dominate one's Will.

The boy knew she wasn't a bad person, but her selfishness and big-headed personality always made her a hassle. Before Kamijou could take a stroll down his memory lane, the man's obvious panic jogged him out of it.

"What is this place? I was at the train station just a moment ago! How the hell did I came here!?" The man screamed, and Kamijou rehearsed his lines one last time.

"Please, calm down." The boy raised a hand firmly. "I know you must be scared but try to listen. I will explain what happened to you but stop shouting before you attract more attention to us," Kamijou said, crossing his arms.

The scared guy nodded and Kamijou nodded as well. The unfortunate boy extended the soda can back to its owner.

"This is yours," The just-freed-from-mental-control guy blinked. "The one behind your lack of memory was an esper, who controlling your mind."

"Controlling my mind?"

"Yes," Kamijou confirmed. "Haven't you heard? There's an esper who likes playing jokes on random people in the street and you were today's victim. But now that you are free from it, I suggest you leave before that esper decides to try again."

The guy nodded nervously, taking the can and running to the street behind him. Not for the last time, Kamijou wondered what that girl was thinking.

"Shoukuhou! I know you are nearby! If you wanted to give me that drink, you would have done so by yourself!" Kamijou shouted, he was sure that the Queen was close, "Just show yourself!"

"[Ok… but you don't have to get mad…]" The feminine voice spoke in his mind, making Kamijou look around him.

_(Finally, that pout is back where it belongs!)_ However, he still was upset. The girl that had controlled that poor person stood shyly 2 meters away from him.

Misaki was, he had to admit, a spectacular sight. Her long golden hair, cute face and those one-of-a-kind golden starry-eyes weren't enough to draw attention from her dangerously sexy body. The girl was wearing her Tokiwadai school uniform but she also a pair of white gloves and stockings, adorned with lace. She carried a shoulder bag that had a star on the middle, dangling from her left shoulder and a remote control in her left hand.

"Get out of my head," Kamijou commanded.

"[…Fine…]" The girl murmured in his mind one last time as she directed her control from him.

Kamijou touched his head after some seconds to make sure she really did leave his mind. Nothing more came so he relaxed a bit. Misaki stood where she was, watching but not moving.

"Really, when are you going to stop?" Kamijou commented as he walked up to her.

"I already told you I was sorry! I didn't mean to cause tha-"

Kamijou raised a hand to silence her.

"First… Stop using people to nag me every time you see me and second…" He hardened his features, looking at her with disapproval, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

"…But…"

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Picture 01

* * *

Kamijou gave her a cold glare.

"Shoukuhou-san, there is nothing more to talk besides that so I'm leaving," Kamijou was being plain cold to her, but though it made him feel bad, he knew she deserved it.

"Touma-chan… Don't be so mean to me…" The blonde-haired esper's face expressed sadness, and the boy wondered if she was being sincere… but decided he couldn't back down now.

He lowered his head a bit, sporting a really serious expression.

"You know what you have to do," Misaki's gaze darkened as the boy turned around. "Talk to me when you do."

With that, the boy began to walk away, a solemn expression painted on his face, but it changed rather quickly due to the step he tripped over. The unfortunate boy fell hard on his face.

"Touma-chan! Are you alright!?" A girl's voice came from his side as the boy rose to his feet.

"I'm fine, Misak-" Kamijou stopped his mouth when his eyes fell on a little brown-haired girl with a dark blue school uniform.

Kamijou's eyebrow twitched. Not only did he not know the girl, but her eyes had stars on them. Kamijou let out an exasperated sigh.

"Shoukuhou!" Kamijou shouted as he turned to where he last saw the blond girl but she was nowhere to be seen.

The spiky-haired boy returned his eyes to the little girl, who wore the same expression he saw on that guy just a while ago. Her eyes had returned to normal.

"W-what's happening!? When did I cross the street?" The girl asked herself.

Kamijou glanced at her and then directed his eyes to the sky. There was no use getting angry, Misaki would have to understand that controlling people for her own desires was a bad thing to do. She just needed time.

He hoped.

Suddenly it dawned on him.

"Oh crap! I still have classes!"

The boy picked up his school bag from the floor and sprinted towards that dreaded destination...

**A certain High school**.

**PART 2**

The unfortunate level 0 esper called Kamijou Touma was surprised, and pleasantly so. He didn't know why, but the school gates were still open though it was 8:56.

_(Why is everyone arriving at school at this hour?) _Kamijou wondered if maybe there was a change in the entry hour he didn't know about, but he didn't really care at the moment. The only thing that mattered now was that could get into school without also getting into trouble. And that was a good thing.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Song 01

* * *

After entering the main building, Kamijou headed to the lockers to change his shoes. As the boy opened it, a weird feeling ran through his body; like a presence was near him, or someone was watching him. The boy scanned the area around him but noticed not a single person.

"Is someone here?" Kamijou gazed towards the entrance door. He was sure he saw other students heading to the school but they weren't around anymore. "Where is everyone…?"

As expected, no response came. Complete silence surrounded the boy; the ominous feeling inside him became stronger, fueling Kamijou's paranoia.

_(Just what the heck is going on…?)_

Kamijou steadied his mind. Something was clearly wrong, his instincts screaming at him to not let his guard down. The engulfing silence was becoming unbearable, broken only by his own breathing.

Suddenly he felt extremely tired, to the point of wanting to just let his body fall to the ground. He managed to keep himself standing despite the sudden weakness. His vision became foggy and the sun light coming through the windows and the entrance door faded. He could barely distinguish anything.

_(I... I need to get out of here...)_

Kamijou looked at the barely visible entry door, and began to walk cautiously to it. Each step made the boy sweat and pant, his legs dragging as if burdened with a ball and chain. The sound of clanking behind made him think his impression was actually true, but there were no shackles attached to his ankles. _(Then why this feeling...? Why this noise...?)_

Finally, the boy reached the door, and upon doing so felt something coming up behind him.

The boy ignored his fatigue and stepped to the side, twisting around sluggishly. Kamijou's eyes widened but they relaxed after seeing the person in front of him.

"Just what the heck are you doing?" A female voice he knew spoke.

Kamijou smiled as the sinister feeling he had some minutes ago dissipated. "Fukiyose…"

The Iron Wall girl was frowning, probably from his dazed expression.

"Why do you always react like that when I come to say hi to you?" The busty girl said as she crossed her arms, a bothered expression on her face.

Kamijou didn't give any reply, still unsettled. Since Fukiyose appeared, everything had returned to normal. Students walked all around him now as others came through the main entrance. His energy returned and the dense atmosphere dissipated.

_(Then... what just happened a minute ago?)_

"Kamijou! Are you listening to me? Hey!"

The spiky-haired boy blinked as he finally gave his attention to the upset-looking girl.

"Oh…? Eh… Is something wrong?" The boy asked as he scratched his cheek, unsure of what she just said.

"I was going to ask that to you… You had this nervous face so I thought something was wrong."

"Wait… What were you doing before coming here?"

Fukiyose furrowed her eyebrows, sporting a confused expression. Kamijou waited for her response.

"...I was in the bathroom. Why…?"

Her reaction confirmed that she didn't experience anything disturbing like he had some minutes ago. If she didn't notice anything wrong, could it be that he imagined all that…?

"Why…? Well… I was just curious," Kamijou said as he turned around, walking to his locker. The sound of the steps behind him told the boy that Fukiyose was following him.

"Just curious? Really, Kamijou. I don't know what to think of you at some times."

The boy chuckled.

"I'm sorry. This Kamijou-san is always making you worry and you still put up with me," The teenager turned his face to the girl. "I really appreciate your concern."

The girl blinked, and for some reason she averted her eyes to the side. Kamijou could swear her face became red, but she was the Iron Wall Girl: he must have imagined that.

_(Nah… I don't think she was embarrassed, I mean, that would be just totally weird. Fukiyose embarrassed, HAH! Although I would pay to see that…)_

"It's not like I'm always getting worried about you, Kamijou. That would only mean that I had you in my-" The girl stopped her mouth, her face became clearly red, and this time he did see it.

"…What?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"…I… eh… um…" Fukiyose's face had the same color of a tomato… was she sick?

This was the first time Kamijou saw her with that kind of expression, and it was shocking. The boy was hesitant and somewhat anxious.

"Is…something…wrong?" The boy finally asked due to the girl being so unresponsive, giving her a bemused look.

Fukiyose just remained silent; she looked like she was lost in thought. Her eyes moved to the ground, and then to him, only to return to the ground. In that moment, a significant change overtook her face. Kamijou could have been wrong, but it was as if she realized something.

"I'll see you in the class, Kamijou…"

After those words, Fukiyose walked past him and left the boy alone and confused.

"…What just happened?" Kamijou asked himself.

The spiky-haired boy frowned; since yesterday, Fukiyose had started acting differently. First, she supported his reckless way of living, and now this? Did something happen to her? Fukiyose always had a determined and strong personality, but now she seemed to be acting totally out of character.

Kamijou sighed at the changes in the world around him. Things he never imagined seeing were beginning to happen. He wasn't sure he would be ready to face them head on.

Kamijou shook his head; getting worried about events that had yet to come would just be plain useless. Better to face them with everything he had when the time came.

_(And let's just hope it never does...)_

The spiky-haired teen turned back to his locker, a place that could have started a life of joy and love, the paradise of youth in fact. Silly and dumb it may have been, but the teenager always hoped to find a love letter inside his locker. Despite being single and unfortunate, he knew very well that receiving a love letter was the dream of every hot-blooded teen.

However, no matter what happened, reality would finally break your illusions, hopes, or silly dreams. It always happened, no matter who you were or what you did. Kamijou couldn't describe this sensation very well, but despite all his misfortune, he could tell there was something important he had to do, even if he didn't know what it was or whether he would like it or not.

All he knew was that with only a powerful will, he would succeed.

No letter was found inside Kamijou's locker, as he expected. Such was his reality after all. But in the end, Kamijou didn't really assign it much importance.

A minute passed as the boy changed his shoes. Suddenly, he remembered that he still had to see Yomikawa in the teacher's staff room. It was quite bothersome but he had no choice. Kamijou wanted to settle all things with the woman once and for all.

_(I just hope she doesn't come up with any more ridiculous stuff…)_

Kamijou scratched the sudden itch on the back of his head as he headed to the teacher's office.

**PART 3**

"Just look who is here! My favorite student, Touma-kun!"

Kamijou deadpanned as the cause of last night's headache greeted him as if they were intimate friends.

"Sensei… what is it now? And please, don't call me by my name," Kamijou spoke robotically. "Things between us are just weird enough; there is no need to make this more awkward.

"Oh? That was plain cold," Yomikawa commented, at first startled but quickly donning a sly smile. "C'mon… don't act like that. We slept together last night so this is only normal. "

Kamijou's eyebrow twitched.

_(What on earth was this woman thinking!? Saying something like that out loud!)_

"Oi! No one needs to know about that! …Seriously!" Yomikawa just chucked. "You enjoy doing this, don't you?"

Yomikawa, who was sitting on her office chair, chuckled huskily. She leaned forward to rest her arms atop her desk, supporting her face with her hands.

"I do," The woman with dark-blue hair responded simply, making the boy feel pretty stupid.

_(Darn! Why does this woman have to be so freaking annoyingly hot!?)_

Kamijou sighed. He knew that getting mad would only encourage Yomikawa to keep her teasing, and it wasn't doing his heart any favours either.

"Whatever…" Kamijou crossed his arms after putting his school bag on his sensei's desk. "At least no one heard yo-"

Kamijou's tongue stopped completely when his eyes met pink ones. To his dismay, they belonged to another sensei of his, standing at his side. She was short enough that he hadn't noticed her there until it was far, far too late.

"K…K…Kamijou-chan… Is this true…?" The little sensei called Komoe spoke weakly as tears formed in her eyes.

The unfortunate boy froze. He had no answer for her. No matter what excuse he gave, that would not change the fact that Yomikawa slept in his dorm.

"Well… it's not what you think, Komoe-sensei. Eh… the thing is…" Kamijou tried to think his answer, glancing at the woman sitting on the desk for salvation. Her amused smile got even wider.

_(She is enjoying this… What the heck is with this development!? I'm kind of feeling like an unfortunate protagonist from an eroge that's going to reach the bad ending!)_

The tears were quite visible on Komoe's eyes now. Even if he came up with a good excuse, it would probably do nothing to stop her from crying. Kamijou tensed in anticipation.

"K-K-KAMIJOU-CHAAAAAAN! How could you!?" The girl screamed, the tears finally overflowing.

_(Crap!)_

"Sensei! Don't cry! It not what you think! Really!" The boy waved his arms frantically.

"Why… why are you not denying it!?" Komoe questioned between sobs.

Kamijou blinked as a horrible thought crossed his mind. Would today become as crazy as yesterday? Was seeing Misaki before coming to school a warning of some sort?

"Komoe-chan!" Yomikawa spoke with a strong voice, silencing the little teacher... at least momentarily, "Calm down, would you?"

"But! But...!" Komoe tried to retort, but was cut off by the hard glare that Yomikawa gave her.

Kamijou observed their conversation in silence.

"But nothing!" The busty sensei crossed her arms as she closed her eyes, "I can assure you that nothing happened between us if that is what you are worried about."

Kamijou wondered what Yomikawa meant by that, and why would Komoe get worried. Unless he or Yomikawa could get expelled for 'sleeping together'?

"I'm not worried about that!" The pink-haired girl shouted loudly, her face a flustered red. "It's just that kind of behaviour! It's wrong! A teacher and a student can't do something like that-desu!"

The unfortunate teen heaved a sigh. He knew that Komoe-sensei was right, but he also knew that this wasn't his fault. It was Yomikawa who decided by herself to pass the night in his dorm, after all, so he was happy to let her try to explain.

"I know what's wrong and what's not, you don't have to tell me that," Yomikawa scowled, her eyes moving to the side. "That's why I assure nothing happened. You're making such a fuss for something as unimportant as this."

"Then explain why you stayed at Kamijou-chan's dorm-desu!"

Kamijou glanced between both of his teachers as they exchanged serious looks. Yomikawa seemed to be thinking up an answer; he hoped it would be a good one.

"Fine, I'll tell you what happened if that's what you want," The woman finally spoke after a minute.

Yomikawa's statement didn't meet his lofty dreams: now he feared she would just say the truth.

"Proceed, then…" The adult with the looks of a kid said after rubbing her eyes with both hands. Kamijou could only watch in silent worry as their conversation unfolded.

Yomikawa lowered her head a bit, her eyes darting between the boy and her workmate.

"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" The busty woman asked, "About Toum- I mean, Kamijou-kun and Fukiyose?"

Komoe seemed contemplative for some seconds before her eyes widened.

"You mean that assignment you gave them?" Yomikawa nodded as Komoe continued, "What does that have to do with you passing the night in Kamijou-chan's dorm?"

"I had to check the progress of his assignment so I came to his dorm."

_(Assignment…? Yeah…right…)_

"You could have checked it today at school. And even if you decided to go to Kamijou-chan's dorm, there was no need for you to sleep in there-desu," The pinkette retorted.

_(Very true…)_

"You're right, I could have, if not for the fact that I needed it yesterday so I could send it to Anti-skill," Yomikawa cast a wry glance at the unfortunate boy; that wasn't a good sign for him. "I slept in his dorm because it took us a bit to finish the investigation. It was very late and to leave to the streets by myself at that hour could have been kind of dangerous, so he kindly offered me to pass the night in his place."

"Guh!" Kamijou almost fell to the ground.

_(I offered her to pass the night in my place!? I don't remember it happening like that! Or do I? No! Wasn't it more like… she decided to stay by herself, also ignoring all my protests!?)_

Cold eyes traversed through the room until they reached Kamijou.

"You 'kindly' offered Aiho-chan to sleep with you-desu?" Surprisingly, Komoe's was not in her usual mode, an adult reproaching a child for his pranks. Instead she gave a shockingly empty glare. "I'm amazed by your hospitality, Kamijou-san."

_(San…? Did she just said… Kamijou-san?)_

"How many times do I have to repeat it? Nothing happened between us! He slept on his couch while I took the bed," Yomikawa's tone rose a bit.

"I-is that so?" Did he imagine it or Komoe's eyes just light up?

Kamijou was a bit surprised; Yomikawa was actually lying to her friend. The boy trusted Komoe-sensei so he wouldn't have minded her knowing the truth, at least the important part of it. Kamijou hoped she had a good reason for the deception.

"But… what is that assignment or investigation or whatever you asked to Kamijou-chan?"

_(Kamijou-chan again… Phew!)_

Yomikawa didn't respond and only gave her a thoughtful look. The most obvious question was finally thrown at his busty sensei, but Kamijou couldn't tell if she had an answer for it.

"It's about the case I told you about some days ago. Kamijou-kun and Fukiyose were present in one of the incidents and they agreed to help me in the investigation."

_(Huh… Nice… even I would buy that.)_

"I see," Komoe said quietly.

"Did you tell her, Kamijou-kun? About you joining Judgment?" The blue-haired woman said, directing her eyes to the silent student, "This is why I offered him to help me in my investigation so he could get some 'field training'."

It took a moment for the import of Yomikawa's words to reach Komoe, and she stepped back.

To Kamijou they were an echoing death knell. _(Damn! Why did she have to bring that up?)_

"W-wait! What? Kamijou-chan wants to join Judgment?" The tiny sensei turned towards the boy, raising both hands to her chest in a cute manner, "When were you planning to tell me this-desu?"

Again, Kamijou found himself impressed by that woman. Yomikawa knew well that mentioning his joining the disciplinary committee would easily divert Komoe's attention.

"Well… actually… I was planning to tell you today…" The boy spoke slowly, "I've… made up my mind yesterday…"

Komoe stared at him for some seconds. Kamijou wasn't sure if she would buy it, but at this point, he should at least try to follow Yomikawa's reasoning.

"Does that mean that Fukiyose-chan will join Judgment, too?"

The boy was struck speechless: what Komoe just said was completely ridiculous. Unexpectedly, the urge of laughing began to form inside him.

_(Fukiyose joining Judgment…? Fukiyose kicking the ass of every thief in AC? P-P-PUF!)_

Kamijou let out a little chuckle that became a loud laugh in mere seconds. The idea of Fukiyose joining Judgment was just too hilarious for him. Both teachers exchanged bewildered looks as they watched him lose control.

"What's so funny Kamijou-kun?" The woman with dark blue hair asked, her face showed concern but he didn't really give a care about it.

A couple of minutes passed before his laugh finally died, his stomach aching from the exertion. Kamijou directed his eyes to Yomikawa, who was looking at him with bothered eyes.

"Are you quite finished?" Even her tone told him that she was kind of upset.

The boy breathed deeply before answering.

"Yes, I'm finished. Sorry for my weird reaction, I have no idea what came over me."

"Just so you know, for when you're an adult, it's creepy to just laugh for no reason…" Komoe commented as she walked past him. "Anyway, classes are about to start, it's 8:42 already. Kamijou-chan, let's go-desu."

"8:42? How can that be?" Kamijou retrieved his cell from the pocket and opened it.

Kamijou directed his gaze to the upper part of the screen.

"Hey, it's 9:12. Why do yo-"

"It's not," Yomikawa spoke, cutting him off.

The boy blinked twice before turning around to face the busty sensei, who had sat back down. She had that same expression that told him that he was going to feel irritated soon.

"It's not? My cell says otherwise," Kamijou responded.

"It says that because I modified it."

"…What!? You modified it!?" The smug woman had fulfilled his dim prophecy.

Yomikawa just nodded, rendering Kamijou speechless.

"You're probably wondering why, I bet," Kamijou's eyes narrowed, suspecting he wouldn't like the answer. "I just wanted you to come earlier so we can talk a bit more, but oddly enough, you still came at a normal hour."

Kamijou stared at her for a minute before sighing in disbelief. It all made sense now: why every student he saw in his race to school looked calmed, why no one was in a hurry except him.

_(Damn…)_

"So… it was just for that…? Geez…" Kamijou tore his school bag from Yomikawa's desk while avoiding her eyes, "I suppose it's about Judgment, right?"

"Yep." Yomikawa affirmed, picking up a coffee mug from her desk. "Komoe-chan, borrow me Kamijou-kun for a couple of minutes, please. I still need to discuss some details about the investigation."

"Okay, but you must explain to me later why you made that choice, Kamijou-chan," Komoe said, turning towards her unfortunate student. "As your educator, the responsibility falls on me to see you take the correct **Road **in life."

"I know, I know. I just need to fill Yomikawa-sensei with some details about the… Ah, graviton case…" The boy smiled. "It will be just a couple of minutes."

Yomikawa made an amused expression after his words: he wondered why, but only briefly.

"I see…" Komoe nodded slowly, "I'll see you in the class then. Don't take long-desu."

Kamijou nodded as the kawaii little teacher left for her duties. He was beginning to wonder how many times he was going to find himself explaining difficult things to his teachers, already fearing a controlled life.

"So…" The boy glanced at the woman sitting at his side, "What do you want?"

"Before answering that, let me apologize for making you lie to her," A soft expression spread across her face. "But I don't think she needs to know about your wild experience in that alley. She'd only get worried and lecture you. I did you a favour, right?"

"I guess…" Kamijou's gaze moved to the roof. He knew she was right.

"On a side note, I noticed you used the graviton incident to solidify our alibi," She grinned, "While you tend to follow your instincts, this time at least you used your head."

Kamijou dead-panned at her statement, well aware of the back-handed compliment. "Are you implying I don't think things through? I'm not an idiot, you know."

The busty woman chuckled. He assumed she felt differently. Only further annoyed, he bitterly sighed.

"Sensei, let's make this quick. What do you want to tell me?" Kamijou asked, tone barely keeping respectful.

Yomikawa rested her back on the chair as she apparently relaxed her body, crossing her legs in a distracting manner.

"Wait for me outside of the school when classes are over, I will take you to Judgment's central office."

"...I'm really not up for this…" The boy murmured.

Yomikawa raised an eyebrow, annoyed.

"Whether you are up for this or not, it doesn't matter…" The woman punctuated her point by jabbing harshly at her folder-covered desk. "You're still going to do it."

The boy glared at her but sighed, finally accepting his cruel fate; his unavoidable reality.

_(Tell me something I don't know… Dammit…)_

Without saying another word, the boy walked out of the teacher's staff room feeling nothing but defeated.

**Part 4**

"How dare you, Kami-yan! You betray us yet again-nya!"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Song 02

* * *

Kamijou Touma stared blankly at yet another bothersome greeting, this one coming from no other than Tsuchimikado Motoharu.

"What the heck are you yapping about now!?" Kamijou scowled.

"Don't play fool with us, Kami-yan!" The blue-haired teen Aogami Pierce retorted, tugging Kamijou by his shirt. "We know what ya did!"

The confused boy waved Aogami's hands away and pushed him back, breaking free of his grip. Kamijou's left eyebrow twitched as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his two friends this time.

"Get to the point, dumbass! I don't remember doing anything that could have caused a betrayal of any sort!" He crossed his arms testily, awaiting an explanation.

It was then when Kamijou noticed the glares, glances, and whispers coming from every student inside his class. Actually, since Fukiyose appeared, he could swear that every boy he saw on his way to the teacher's staff room in the school glared at him, which was kind of unsettling. In the end he decided to just shrug it off, thinking he was imagining it, but now he was unsure. He put his right hand to his head to make sure it wasn't a trick of the mind.

_(Nothing's going away…this isn't my imagination or something worse.)_

Thanks to the ruckus Aogami and Tsuchimikado were raising, the unfortunate boy was even more the centre of attention. Kamijou could feel the killing intent emanating off every male in the room.

"Ya slept with one of the school goddesses, ya little dick!"

_(Oh holy crap! Did Komoe-sensei tell them!?)_

Kamijou Touma knew it; another hell of a day was at hand.

"I don't know what you are talking about," The unfortunate boy said dryly. "I just want to sit on my desk; peacefully if possible."

Both Aogami and Tsuchimikado stood in front of him, blocking the only way to his seat.

"It shouldn't be surprising, really," The first mocked, casually pulling at his forelock. "Don't ya remember that yesterday, he even conquered Fukiyose, the Iron wall Girl no less!"

"Aw, c'mon! I did NOT conquer anyone... Whatever you mean by that…" Kamijou muttered, before suddenly shouting, "Just stop with that crap already!"

The unfortunate level 0 wondered why he still considered them his friends. The only thing they offered was annoyance whenever the opposite sex came up. To a degree he understood them, but only just a little bit. (_After all, who wouldn't want to sleep with someone like Yomikawa...?_)

"Kami-yan has decided to go all out! Not even the teachers are safe now-nya!"

"I told you I have no idea of what are you talking about! Let me pass already!" Kamijou pushed both teens to the sides, parting the way like the red.

Before Kamijou could reach his desk, someone else stood between him and his chair. The boy froze upon seeing who it was.

"Is it true?" The busty girl who he knew as Fukiyose asked, her tone strained to its breaking point.

"…What exactly?" The boy averted his gaze.

"Did you sleep with Yomikawa-sensei?" She pressed.

His worst fears had transpired. Somehow, news of his private life had spread like wild fire. He wondered if Komoe-sensei told someone, but quickly realized that wouldn't make any sense. People had been staring at him since he entered school, while his teacher only found out about this after. (_Then… who spread the rumor?_)

But that was problem for later, "Wait, wait! What on earth are you saying? Who the heck told you that?" He snapped, nervously darting his eyes, "This is just some random rumor, don't take it seriously."

"It's not a rumor, it's a fact-nya! Maika told me," The blond said, finally revealing the leak.

_(Maika…? Oh, damn it!)_

Now that he recalled, Maika had been home in the Tsuchimikado residence last night. She must have heard their talking and arguing through the walls.

"So it is true…" Fukiyose murmured, biting her lip.

Kamijou looked around him frenetically, searching for something he knew he was not going to find: A way out of this mess. Though hope that something could divert everyone's attention remained, he was already gearing up to accept his cruel reality.

"What do ya have to say for yarself, Kami-yan?" Aogami questioned him, his usual fake Kansai accent sounding more annoying than usual.

The unfortunate boy chose silence. Soon other students decided to join the fuzz, and the class descended into chaos.

"You are the worst, Kamijou!"

"Oh, come on, really!?"

"You're disgusting! It's not fair, damn it!"

"The bastard got the ultimate onee-san! I'm so freaking jealous!"

Within the chorus of bitter shouting, one came that belonged to Fukiyose, looking terribly upset. Her cries of anger were the only ones that hurt.

The little patience left in the boy completely evaporated, and Kamijou closed his eyes.

_(That's it!)_

The Imagine Breaker opened his eyes, and a sharp expression crossed his features. Most of the students around the unfortunate boy were taken aback due to the boy's sudden change of demeanor; never had they seen such a serious face on their normally average classmate.

"Listen up, everyone!" The boy breathed deeply before continuing, "If I did it or not, it's no one's concern." Though he spoke without yelling, his frustration seeped out through his clenched teeth. "I don't have any obligation to explain myself to any of you."

The boy turned to Fukiyose, her widened eyes narrowing when hers met his. Narrowing in disappointment, which he wasn't gonna let last any longer.

"...But I still will explain. She did stay in my dorm, and that happened because she came to my apartment to discuss an investigation she's doing with Anti-Skill," Kamijou gave a quick glance around him. "It became late, so I offered to let her pass the night at my place... As most of you should know, to wander in the streets at night alone is dangerous."

"So that's why you have decided to join Judgment, huh… to help make this city safe," The boy had not expected to be interrupted, and he spun to see that voice came from Komoe-sensei, his homeroom teacher, "Now I understand everything."

Varying degrees of shocked cries burst out of every one of Kamijou's classmates. Not least was the Imagine Breaker, as he nearly choked on his own tongue. _(Damn it, can I have no secrets any more!?)_

"WHAT!?" Both Aogami and Tsuchimikado shouted in unison, before staring at each other agape.

The shouting turned to hushed whispers, and an idea popped unbidden into Kamijou's mind. (_...I wasn't planning on sharing that problem right now, but let's make the most of it. One distraction, coming up!_)

"Yeah… I've decided to join the Disciplinary Committee."

A weighty silence ruled the class for a few moments as the news sunk in.

"So any other complaints…? Or we can finally return to our seats and let Komoe-sensei do her job?" The spiky haired teenager said, resting the hand holding his schoolbag slung over his shoulder.

No one spoke a word, only nodding embarrassedly and taking a seat. Tsuchimikado and Aogami did the same and as for Fukiyose…

"You really are full of surprises, Kamijou," The black haired girl said demurely, her sincere smile causing Kamijou no small amount of embarrassment. "I'm really sorry..." Her eyes averted to the ground, "...for thinking the worst without giving you the benefit of the doubt. I got carried away... sorry…"

(_...Lies, lies, lies. I hate them, so why are they always the answer?_) Though unsure if he was doing the right thing by implying he joined Judgment on his own, he couldn't imagine what it would be like if people knew the truth. Would they really be happier knowing he DID technically sleep next to his teacher? Would it have been better to let them think that he got laid? _(Why are things so damn complicated!?)_

The answer was a definitive no, but he still felt bad. Not only was he lying to his old friends, but also to his newest, Fukiyose. In a moment of determination, the boy decided that would not do: he would have to talk and tell her the truth later. If she got angry, then so be it. He owed her that much.

"Don't worry Fukiyose... This was just a misunderstanding, it's fine." Kamijou cast a glance at the little teacher. "Let's continue with the class, Komoe-sensei."

"Thanks, Kamijou-chan. Very well then, take out your books. Today we are going to study the Personal Reality," Komoe announced, stepping to the podium.

Kamijou finally returned to his desk, glancing around as he did. He was still be stared at by his classmates, but at least this time they showed admiration. At least, that was his guess, not being too familiar with the sensation.

Was joining Judgment some kind of honor? Something to be respected for? He couldn't be sure, but it looked like it might be and that made it all the worse. He was no **Hero**. Not only did he was he forced to join, now his class was looking at him like he already was one. All he wanted was to help people: being recognised and publicly praised was not a cost he relished paying for the privilege.

"Fukou da…" He whispered to himself after sighing. "Life sucks…"

The unfortunate level 0 stared through the windows at his side. Today's pretty blue sky did nothing to brighten his day.

**Part 5**

"So here we are! Anti-skill's central building!"

Kamijou Touma was amazed by the size of the enormous building in front of him. It's modern look showcased Academy City's futuristic technology, more window than wall, and the front entrance was connected to a longer main structure by a pleasant oval walkway. The symbol of Anti-skill stood tall at the upper right corner of the structure, like the badge on their regulation jacket.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Picture 02

* * *

Despite the grandness of the building his sensie was leading him to, Kamijou expression betrayed his boredom. A yawn drew Yomikawa's attention and twisted her head behind her, and her eyes focused laser like onto him.

"Mind toning it down a notch? Cuz it's beginning to bother me, how excited you are," Yomikawa said sarcastically as she continued to look at him over her shoulder.

"What face do you want me to put, sensei? Did you forget that my presence here is against my will?" Kamijou retorted as he scratched the back of his head.

"You could at least pretend that you aren't fed up…"

"No, because I am," Was his dry answer.

She sighed, "You're not going to make me feel bad about this, you know. Justice is always the answer, right? That's what an anime hero always says, isn't it?"

Kamijou winced at her word choice, but her passion and proud pose brought an unbidden smile. "...Anyway, weren't we supposed to go to the Judgment's central building?" The boy asked.

"Judgment's main quarters reside in this building as well, don't worry," Yomikawa grinned.

District 1, where student and teacher were standing, was an important district in the city due to containing many administrative buildings. One such was the **White Building**, which Kamijou suspected was the place where the Board of Directors had their meetings. At least, it seemed important enough to him, those rare times he found himself nearby.

"I see… so, I brought all my papers. Will this be enough, sensei?" Kamijou asked, showing her his loose bundle of documents.

Yomikawa received them and examined them quickly. (_Too quickly… did she really even read anything? She barely glanced!_)

Though he had cared for them, his handling was practically relevant compared to the way she stuffed them into her blazer. "This should do. C'mon! Let's go inside," The busty woman motioned Kamijou to follow her, but heard his dragging feet. "Change that attitude, would you? No matter what you do, you can't avoid this."

Kamijou rolled his eyes, all too aware of how right she was. There really was no use in acting like this.

"Fine. Let's do it!"

Determination was drawn on his face; he would deal with whatever Judgment would have in store for him.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Four months of training!? Are you kidding me!?"

The boy shouted at the Judgment's counselor's words. The boy had expected some trouble in order to become a member, but 4 months of training seemed absurd. Not to mention the 13 tryouts he would have to pass. _(Did Yomikawa know about this!?)_

"He's not kidding. Four months are required to teach you the necessary skills and knowledge for you to be an effective and full-fledged recruit," Yomikawa raised a hand, putting it on Kamijou's shoulder.

Kamijou tsked and glared at her.

"Why is it that I always get dragged to annoying stuff as this...?" Kamijou cleared his throat,"Sensei, listen. I'm sorry but I am not going to do it after all."

"I knew you were going to say that, that's why I am here."

"How are you gonna try to convince me? Have any more blackmail?" Kamijou moved his left hand to massage his neck. "If I have to train for 4 damn months, I'm not gonna have time to do anything, especially not help people! And what about if I finally decided to do… ehh… w-what about if I have to do homework or something!?"

This time, the woman sighed.

"I know that. Just sign the paper so I can explain how you'll avoid those 4 months of training."

Kamijou raised an confused eyebrow. The two counsellors with them pulled strange faces that only furthered Kamijou's turmoil. _(Avoid? So why am I here?)_

"Don't tell me you are going to send him to her…?" One of the counsellors spoke nervously.

Yomikawa glanced at the man before grinning. He slumped backwards in his chair, her smile answered enough.

"For some reason I have this real bad feeling about this... But I'll bite. Care to tell me how can I avoid one of the most important procedures needed for my recruitment?"

The woman turned around, giving her back to the boy and looked at him over her shoulder as a sly smile formed on her lips.

"It's easy. If you can do the training of four months in just three weeks, would you be more willing to join?"

Both counselors present in the room exchanged worried smiles.

"That's not... Great... But I'm listening." Kamijou furrowed his eyebrows.

The boy was sure he was going to regret those words, but it wasn't like he could see a way to get off the hook without him accepting at least some of the crap. He would just have to see if an acceptable solution would come out of this mess.

**Part 6**

After signing 9 contracts in a row—in which Kamijou accepted the goals, ideals and responsibilities of an agent of order as well as the conditions and rules needed to become one—the boy was taken to yet another office, but unlike the first time, he was told to wait in the reception as his teacher entered.

(_Really…? How much more of my evening am I gonna have to waste?_)

More than 20 minutes had passed since Yomikawa left, and Kamijou was getting impatient. The boy tapped his foot repeatedly on the ground as the minutes wore on.

And on.

And on.

And-

"Gah! I'm falling asleep here! This is so boring!" Kamijou shouted to no one in particular as he rose from the sofa in which he was sitting, "I swear I'll just give her 5 more minutes..."

The cute receptionist busy writing at her desk by the office's door glared coolly at the boy. Kamijou sat on the sofa again and decided it would be better to just remain silent.

She had shoulder-length dark-green hair, and was dressed formally for her secretarial role. She narrowed her eyes but resumed her work as Kamijou leaned back on the couch, letting a sigh escape from his lips.

"I suppose if Yomikawa-san brought you here, she must trust you," To the boy's surprise, the receptionist spoke, her gaze still on her desk.

"…Why do you say that?" Kamijou asked.

"Because she brought you here. Don't you know whose office is this?"

Kamijou frowned as he glanced at the name at the side of the door that led to the aforementioned office.

_(Tsukino Yui… who's that?)_

"I have no idea, but…" His voice finally made the green-haired woman turn her face towards him, "…Some enlightenment would be appreciated…"

The woman lowered her head at bit as if to get a better look at him. She then stood up and walked up to him, making the boy a bit nervous at her unexpected approach.

"You seriously don't know?" Kamijou shook his head, "…She is an elite member and leader of the second Anti-skill's Anti-Riot Unit and pretty much a legend around here. She's also my boss," The woman moved her gaze to the side and raised a finger, putting it on her chin on a rather cute manner. "Although, she doesn't really behave like one, always neglecting her duties…"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow at such a detailed description. (_Should I know about this person?_)

"Eh… well, this is my first time hearing about her," Kamijou scratched his left cheek as he resettled on the sofa. "Anyway, why did you say that Yomikawa-sensei trusted me, miss…?"

The receptionist—who now seemed a lot younger than she did at first sight—chuckled.

"Inoue Shizuka, that's my name," The girl winked slyly.

_(Whoa… That was awesome…)_

"Nice to meet you, Inoue-san, I'm Kamijou Touma," He did his very best to play it cool.

Inoue nodded slightly and leaned her head to the side as she smiled. His coolness shattered as for one ridiculous moment he though this girl might actually be flirting with him.

_(…Nah… Not a chance. Pull it together, Kamijou-san.)_

As always, he accepted his reality and destroyed his own illusions.

"Kamijou-kun is it then…" The woman spun elegantly and glanced at him from over her left shoulder, "Good luck, Kamijou-kun. You will need it."

A dark smile formed on her lips after she said this, leaving Kamijou more wary than confused. If he would really need luck, it was clear **Inoue Shizuka** knew why.

It wouldn't hurt to ask, "If you don't mind telling me, why is that? Luck for what exactly?" The boy asked as he stood up.

The woman that sat back at her desk smiled even more broadly than before. It didn't ease his nerves.

"You'll see, Kamijou-kun…" Inoue replied, a throaty chuckle betraying trace amounts of sadism. "…You'll see."

At that, the green-haired woman said no more and returned to her work. The silence that followed ratcheted Kamijou's newfound paranoia to new height.

_(I was all for her at first, but this is starting to bother me...)_

The boy quickly rose and crossed to her desk. Inoue gave no sign of noticing him, as if she did not care. Neither did he, for he spoke to her regardless.

"What do you mean? What's all this about?" The teen asked, crossing his arms as he spoke.

No reply came, the receptionist just continued on with her work and didn't give him even the tiniest glance. She completely ignored him.

"...Sure. I guess you're busy," Kamijou sighed, "I won't bother you anymore, Inoue-san."

Kamijou Touma returned to the sofa and fell on it again.

_(Why do I feel like I'm waiting for an appointment with an executioner? Fukou da…)_

The sound of a door opening at his side stopped his grim thoughts. The woman responsible for his predicament stepped out from within and grinned at the boy.

"Hey, don't just stay there, come on in!" Yomikawa shouted.

Kamijou scowled. (_If she's not going to even apologize for making me wait, I'm really going to start disliking her again._)

"Whatever!" Kamijou shouted back as he stood up to meet the busty woman, "Let's get this over with already. I'm tired and it would be nice if I could get a good sleep tonight."

"So… You couldn't sleep much with me at your side? That's cute," Yomikawa teased.

As always, Yomikawa seized yet another opportunity to annoy him. Kamijou asked himself mentally if he did something to deserve it. Was being cruel just part of her personality, or was he just being singled out for his reactions? These questions, he feared, would forever remain unanswered.

"MOVING ON!" The spiky-haired teen strode past her and entered the office.

He was greeted by the sight of a striking young girl. She had white hair and golden eyes behind with glasses, and she leant back in her chair at an abnormally big wooden desk with detailed carvings. She was wearing some kind of black outfit with yellow edges, the symbol of Anti-skill proudly displayed over her left chest.

"So he's the boy, huh?" The girl said with no amusement as she lay her glasses down carefully, staring at him intently, "Are you sure about this, Aiho? He doesn't really look like he will endure it."

_(Endure…? Endure what?)_

Kamijou stopped dead in his tracks and remained silent as Yomikawa explained.

"Of the three I have brought you, I'm definitely sure of this one," Yomikawa answered quickly. "I bet 10000 yen that he is going to finish the three weeks alive."

_(Alive? What did she mean by… alive? Why everything I have heard since I came here makes it look like I'm going to die? Why is she betting when my life is seemingly at stake!? Why is that cold woman betting about this in the first place? How on earth Yomikawa managed to even become a full-fledged educator when she bets with the life of her own poor students!?)_

"You said the same last time but fine, I accept," Kamijou's jaw dropped. "Remember you still own me 4000 yen from the second disappointment, so you better pay it all when you lose."

_(What are they talking about? She just accepted that bet without thinking! Was that girl so sure that I was going to die? What's gonna happen to me? Since yesterday, all females have gone nuts!)_

"I will not lose this time, Yui… I trust him," To Kamijou's great agitation Yomikawa sounded full of confidence. He almost believed that she trusted him, but after all that happened since yesterday he was convinced this was some kind of joke.

The girl, now confirmed as the supposed legend of Anti-skill, **Tsukino Yui**, frowned at the woman's statement. It seemed she was startled by Yomikawa's tone. His certainty of his sensei's bad joke faded in the face of her surprise.

"I… really hope you're right…" Tsukino eyed the boy, and he returned the favor, "Well then… We'll start tomorrow morning. I trust that you will inform his school about his absence for the coming days, Yomikawa."

"Hey! Hold up!" Kamijou interrupted as he gave a step forward, "Absence? I just can't miss school like that! Sensei, I understand you wanted me to join Judgment but missing school is not an option for me. You should know that better than anyone."

Yomikawa crossed her arms over her chest as she moved closer to the teen. She then leaned towards him making Kamijou gulped at her proximity.

"You think I don't know that? Stop stating the obvious, would you?" Yomikawa moved even closer to him.

Kamijou's eyes darted between her face and her voluptuous chest. If that woman moved any closer to him, that big pair she had was going to crush on him… although that would probably be nice…

"I have to if you won't because you always seem to forget it… or skip it!" Kamijou replied as he gave a step back.

Yomikawa's face shifted from mild upset to mocking confidence. Kamijou readied himself for whatever ridiculous plan she had in mind.

"Me and Komoe are going to take care of your studies after your training sessions," Yomikawa put one hand one her chin as in lost in thought. "We could gather at your place, Touma-kun."

Kamijou gave the woman a blank stare; neither said a word for a minute.

"Whatever!" The white-haired girl in the room cut the silence, "Just be sure to bring him here tomorrow at 6 a.m." Tsukino spun in her chair, facing away. "Now you two, get out of my office! I need to sign some papers and I don't need anyone distracting me."

"Yeah, right… If I remember correctly, all you do in this office is sleep," The woman moved her gaze from Tsukino to her own nails, busily cleaning them.

"Whether I do that or not is not your business!" The gold-eyed girl retorted.

Kamijou facepalmed, a rising tide of exhaustion overwhelming him. He just wanted to go to bed and not think about the next few weeks.

"It IS my business! You're the leader of an entire squad of Anti-skill, and if recall right, we ARE partners!"

Tsukino pouted at that, a sight that caught the boy's attention. He had to admit it was a cute expression, as he wondered how old she was. Tsukino looked rather young, but to hold such authority within this kind of organization would have taken time and work. Maybe she was like Komoe-sensei, who was old but looked young.

"Complaints, complaints. All I hear is complaints! Don't you all have more important things to do? Like catching delinquents or terrorists or something?" The leader of the second Anti-Riot squad said, closing one eye and massaging her neck.

Yomikawa opened her mouth, but was interrupted by several sharp knocks on the door. Everyone in the room turned to it as someone entered in a hurry.

"Captain!" Yet another girl appeared dressed with the Anti-skill uniform, her dark-green hair tied in a pony-tail. She pushed back her glasses that had nearly fallen with her hurried entry, "The graviton bomber has attacked again! Civilians have been wounded this time!"

Tsukino sighed while Yomikawa's face became grave. It wasn't first time Kamijou heard the term 'graviton', and the strange occurrence with the doll came to his mind.

_(Graviton bomber? Wait… the doll that exploded… Was she referring to the same kind of explosion? And another occurred!?)_

"How many casualties?" Yomikawa inquired as Kamijou focused, abruptly wide awake.

"A-a cou—a pair of students!" The girl stuttered for some reason, "The attack occurred in District 15, more exactly, in 23rd Street by the Kagaya Bank!"

Kamijou expected to hear Yomikawa, but it was Tsukino who spoke.

"Was the Bank damaged in any way by the explosion?"

Kamijou narrowed his eyes. Was this girl more concerned about the money? What about the people that were caught by it?

"…N-No…" Nervously, their subordinate reported.

"Anything else of importance?"

The green-haired girl blinked, looking thoughtful for several seconds. Another detail quickly came to mind.

"One of the students belonged to Judgment…"

Kamijou's eyes widened after her words while his sensei and the other girl exchanged looks.

_(A judgment member…? Shit…)_ Kamijou gritted his teeth in anger.

"See? This is what I was referring to! Everyone here should be focusing on finding that bastard instead of watching me all the time!" Tsukino shouted and pulled off her glasses again, "Or do you need me to take care of this mess?"

"No," The busty woman answered seriously, walking to the green-haired girl. "You had to come all the way here to tell me about this? You could have called me," Her casual reprimand made it seem his sensei and that girl knew each other.

_(Idiot Kamijou-san, she is a member of Anti-skill like Yomikawa. They must know each other, they probably even work together.)_

"Well … I guess I should have done that…"

_(Well, my guess here is that she is the clumsy type…)_

Yomikawa sighed, before striding to the door.

"C'mon… let's go," As Kamijou's sensei directed her colleague, she looked over her shoulder to the teen. "Kamijou-kun, you should leave now. I'll come to get you tomorrow, so put on your alarm."

The boy's expression became serious as he nodded as he watched them depart.

From what he could gather, someone was attacking the city with some kind of bomb-trigger ability; after negating the explosion yesterday, Kamijou was sure that the bomber was an esper. Yet he was unsure how this terrorist eluded the police's grasp.

Thinking back hard to his oft-forgotten class, he recalled Komoe-sensei mentioning that every person living in the AC was documented. There existed a Database that had info about anyone within the city, and far more about those who underwent the Power Curriculum Program. Why not review the info on all the espers to see who had such an ability and then start questioning them?

"I don't understand why you-"

"If your business here is over, kid, then leave my office. I have work to do," Tsukino interrupted the boy, her gold eyes directed at him. "And I don't want imbeciles bothering me, so take a hike already!"

Kamijou furrowed his eyebrows at her rude words. It was not like he wanted to stay in this stupid place, nor bear rotten words any longer. But he merely breathed deeply and left.

The boy walked in silence, a severe expression on his face. After a day of lows he was now in a truly foul mood, and he had that obnoxious woman to thank for it. When a voice called from behind he only barely found the will to stop, and even then he only turned his head a bit.

"I can assure you, she is not a bad person. Just give her some time," The receptionist shortened the distance between them.

Kamijou's eyes moved to the side as he put his hands on his pockets. The spìky-haired boy had tried his best to hide his anger, but from the woman's cautious tone he could tell he failed.

"I don't really care now," He retorted simply. "I'll just leave."

He probably imagined it but the girl seemed taken aback by the boy's cold behavior towards her.

"…I didn't mean to ignore you, sorry…" To his surprise, Inoue apologized, "It was rude of me, I know, but I wanted to scare you off."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, but his anger hadn't abated. He appreciated her brutal sincerity but it still annoyed him to no end.

"Why did you want to scare me?" His voice was dry, "I suppose you think you had a good reason?"

Inoue now looked unsure of her next words. Well aware his attitude was the cause, he decided to be magnanimous and give her time to respond.

"I know what happened to the students that came before you… that's why I decided to do it," The woman with green hair crossed her arms as if hugging herself to keep her body warm. "If I scared you, then you'd probably change your mind about doing that three-weeks training with Tsukino-san."

"But what happened to them? Did they die?" Kamijou tensed, "They said they didn't finish the training alive."

Inoue shook her head slightly and closed her eyes.

"That's what they said…?" Inoue lowered her voice, before chuckling weakly. "They were just testing your resolve... So are you still going to go through with this?"

Kamijou scratched his head as a nervous chuckle escaped his lips. The teen knew he had no choice about this matter. If he wanted to help and protect the people in this city, he had to do it. If hard, dangerous training was what it would take to accelerate becoming an official member of Judgement, then so be it.

"Yes."

"I see… But it's not just really hard training. Those two students left AC because they were ashamed of their failure."

Kamijou blinked twice before grimacing.

"They left the city just for failing boot-camp? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

Inoue averted her gaze to the ground, she looked sad. What happened with them?

"Not when you are in love with the one testing you… They both fell in love with Tsukino-san but irredeemably failed to finish the training. She rejected both of them for not having what it takes to be her equal."

_(…What…? Fall in love…? Seriously? Can this be more ridiculous?)_ Kamijou remained speechless as he processed what he just heard.

"Is that... the truth?" The woman nodded. "I can't believe it, but hey... even if I fail, it's not like I'll fall in love with her; you don't have to worry. But what were those guys thinking anyway? Falling in love in such short time of knowing her to the point of feeling depressed for disappointing her?"

"You said that because you have yet to start the training. You don't know her yet. I still can remember the mortified expressions they had when they were rejected… Tsukino-san is really harsh."

Kamijou grasped his head in exasperation. He wondered what kind of people those two students were. Probably idiots, and at this point, something as bizarre as this was not going to stop him. (_Getting depressed over stuff like that... That's just crap._)

"I've noticed her attitude. But even so, I'll take the risk. Thanks for worrying though, it was nice of you."

"...You should know that the first one managed to endure 4 days of training while the second one only lasted two and a half."

_(4 days of three weeks? And the other did not even manage to complete the third day? What kind of training could have made them quit so quickly?)_

Kamijou closed his eyes, and gathered his thoughts as the seconds ticked passed.

A smirk appeared on his face.

"I don't like going back on my word. I'll see this through and if I have to fail, then so be it."

Inoue just grinned.

"If you've decided, then there's nothing I can do. Whatever reasons you may have, I will root for your safety and success."

Kamijou tilted his head to the side as he smirked again, and though he turned back to the exit, his eyes remained on her.

"You're a good person, Inoue-san. Thank you… I'll see you tomorrow then."

The receptionist blinked, but smiled warmly. It somehow calmed his heart, and he felt his anger finally disappear.

"Ok, see you tomorrow then… By the way…" Inoue winked at him, her charming sly smile back on her face, "…I'm just nineteen so I wouldn't mind you making your move first."

"Eh?" The boy's face became red as she giggled. Did she mean what he just heard?

"I'm just joking, Kamijou-kun… Right?" The girl turned around and returned to her desk. "See you tomorrow."

_(Geez… Way to make my heart pound… And almost explode)_

The boy turned around and left to the hallway, his mind spinning with mixed feelings. Hopefully it would be possible to sort it all out at home.

**Part 7**

After Tsukino's office, Kamijou headed down a corridor to Judgment's central office to retrieve his documents. Inside, he also received some papers that accredited him as a new recruit for Judgment's ranks.

The boy checked one of the papers; the middle part caught his attention.

_(Branch-177? Wow… how many branches are there?)_

The document confirmed he would be joining Judgment's 177-branch, and he wondered who else belonged to it.

As the boy left the Anti-skill Building, the guard at the entrance returned his school bag, which he had completely forgotten he had brought. Thinking back, he had left it inside Yomikawa's car so she must have given it to this man before leaving.

"Well, this wasn't all bad. Inoue-san seems nice… And pretty hot, too," The teen said to himself as he nodded proudly. "Make your move, she said huh…"

Kamijou shook his head. The girl who was surprisingly young, _(Just nineteen!)_ said she was joking, so that was the end of that. Still, anyone can dream, right?

The sun had almost disappeared behind the skyline: the city was lit more by its own lights, making the enormous buildings a bright spectacle. Between them, Kamijou walked down the illuminated streets as he headed back home.

"What a day… Almost as rough as yesterday…" Kamijou stretched his arms and then pulled out his phone, "6:29… Hmm… Maybe I could check out that branch office before I go to the dorm…"

Kamijou leaned against a wall at his side and opened his school bag. From it, he grabbed one of his new Judgment papers . The level 0 examined the paper from top to bottom as he searched for the address of his soon-to-be office.

"Where is it, where is it…? I swear I saw an address in this one… Oh! There it is!" Kamijou read carefully before smiling, "District 7, huh? That's convenient… Ok, then."

With a new destination in mind, Kamijou turned left on the corner to meet his future head on.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"I guess this is it…"

After 20 minutes or so of walking, Kamijou finally found the spot. A mustard-colored 5-story building was the home of the branch, on the second floor. A green sign with white letters confirmed his impression, and a blinking red arrow gestured up a narrow stairway.

"Up we go, I guess," Kamijou said to no one as he climbed up the stairs. At the end was a crisply painted green door.

Imagine Breaker knocked on it several times but no response came.

"I didn't come here for nothing," The boy grabbed the doorknob; to his pleasant surprise it turned, and the door opened.

Kamijou stepped forward and glanced inside cautiously. He saw a plain short corridor with two doors at the right side, one on the left and another one at the end of it. Dim fluorescent roof lighting gave the room an institutionally sinister feel.

As Kamijou stepped inside he noticed a strong light from the second door on the right; it was half-opened. The teen walked slowly to it, and as he did, he heard voices from within.

"The branch office must be here," Kamijou whispered to himself as he finally reached the half-opened door. "Crap… now that I'm here, I don't want to go in… but going back feels even worse... Maybe just a peek?"

The boy leaned in to the opening for a better view, trying to avoid being seen. Something important might be happening inside, and until he knew it wouldn't be bad to barge in it was better to be subtle.

The first thing he laid eyes on were a couple of desks covered with papers, in fact, every surface in the room seemed covered with boxes, files, books-

"Excuse me?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Song 03

* * *

Kamijou moved his gaze to the right; a girl was staring at him in mild confusion. She had short black hair, brown eyes and was wearing a strangely familiar school uniform, and on her brow was a headband made of flowers.

"Do… do you need something?" She asked.

The boy smiled nervously as he finally stepped into the open, out in front of the flower-headed girl. The boy cursed himself for being caught peeping just now. For all he knew, that girl would think of him as some kind of stalker.

"Well… I…" Kamijou sighed. The girl looked like a good person so he might try as well to just say the truth, "I'm a new recruit for this branch; I just came to see the place where I was assigned."

"Oh…" The girl delicately placed a finger on her lips, looking thoughtful. Kamijou wondered if she belonged to Judgment, he could not see the green armband the members used anywhere on her.

Suddenly, the eyes of the girl shone likes stars, and that could only mean one thing…

"Shouku-"

"A new member for this branch!? Really!?" To Kamijou's surprise, the girl interrupted him, nigh bursting with excitement. "Come in! I'll make some tea."

The cheerful girl motioned for him to follow, and he did so hesitantly. She didn't look like she was being controlled; he pretty much knew how Misaki made his 'puppets' act. After a moment he decided she really was just thrilled at the thought of a new member joining the 177 branch. That would pretty much confirm that she was also a member of the disciplinary committee, but he knew it was still a pretty weak conjecture.

Entering the office fully, the boy glanced around. The office was sizeable, but too imposing. There were some desks, a computer on one of them, full bookshelves, a mini living room and a tiny kitchen where the girl headed. All in all it wasn't too bad of a place, considering that he would be coming here everyday in the future.

"You are the only one here, eh…" His voice made the girl turn towards him.

"…Oh! How rude of me. My name is Uiharu Kazari, also a member of Judgment," The girl bowed, putting both hands over her skirt.

The unfortunate teen smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Uiharu. I'm Kamijou Touma," The boy nodded slightly as he glanced at a board located at the left side of one of the desks.

His eyes widened when he saw the word 'graviton' written on the upper part of it.

_(Is Judgment also following the graviton-bomber case?)_

"So Kamijou-san, I guess that you managed to pass all the trials," The girl called **Uiharu Kazari** said as she continued to brew the tea, her back to him. "You must be skilled for having been assigned to a branch so quickly. Training is hard, but I can tell you it is worth it."

"Well… not exactly…" The boy spoke hesitantly," I have yet to start my training, but one of the documents I received after making my paperwork for my recruitment to Judgment told me that I was assigned to this branch."

Uiharu stopped what she was doing and turned around, sporting a confused expression.

"You were assigned to a branch without receiving the proper training…? That's not possible," The girl commented. "How did you manage to get assigned without the approval of the Central Judgment Committee?"

"…Wait… What?" Kamijou raised his eyebrows in confusion, "…Well… my teacher made the paperwork for me so I'm not sure. You're saying I shouldn't have been assigned yet?"

Uiharu nodded slowly and grabbed a tray with two cups of tea before walking to where he was sitting. The girl leaned slightly towards him as she offered one of the cups.

"Thank you," Kamijou accepted the beverage with a smile.

"When I decided to join Judgment, I was only assigned to this branch after finishing 5 months of training…" Uiharu took a little sip of her tea, "It was really hard for me but here I am, an official member of this branch!" She smiled proudly.

_(5 months? Why 5 months? Yomikawa told me it was four.)_

"Maybe this was just a mistake, I don't know… I guess I shouldn't even be here," Kamijou drank his tea, but almost spilled it everywhere. "Guh! My mouth!"

"B-be careful! It's hot! I didn't thought you would drink it like that, I'm sorry…"

Kamijou shook his head slightly to reassure here as he gingerly put down his cup.

"I'm fine, don't sweat it. It wasn't that hot," Kamijou lied, it burn like hell, making his lips a bit red. "In any case, I… really shouldn't be here. Like I told you before, I just came here to see the place, not act as a member of this branch… at least not yet…."

"Oh… I see…" The girl directed her gaze to the cup of tea she was holding, she looked somehow disappointed and it made Kamijou feel bad, even if he didn't do anything wrong.

Kamijou couldn't find any words to say, they just wouldn't come and the uncomfortable silence was beginning to bother him. The boy grabbed his school bag from the sofa at his left side and stood up, getting Uiharu out of her trance.

"Well… I need to go… Thanks for the tea, Uiharu-san," Kamijou said, nodding slightly to her and then walked to the entrance door.

"…Thanks for the visit, Kamijou-san," The voice of the black-haired girl made him stop from grabbing the doorknob. "I hope everything goes well for you, and that you come here next time as a true member of this branch. You know, we could always use an extra **hand!**"

The boy chuckled weakly. _(I don't know... This right hand of mine isn't usually so helpful...)_

"I will," Kamijou said as he turned around, but his way was blocked.

"Who are you?"

Kamijou was taken aback by the new presence in front the room. (_Where on earth did she come from!?) _Kamijou had seen all the office, and he was sure it only held one entrance, but here was a small girl standing before him, hands on hip.

Putting this enigma aside, Kamijou was more surprised when he saw she was wearing the Tokiwadai uniform, realizing she must be another student of that insane prep school. Her tawny hair was tied with red bows into two curly pigtails at each side of her head, letting the rest hang between them. She also wore the green armband from Judgment, unlike the girl who had welcomed him.

"He is Kamijou Touma-san, a future member of this branch, Shirai-san,"

Kamijou gave Uiharu a curious look at her wording, which she apparently took in the wrong way as she lowered head to avoid his gaze. The girl called Shirai crossed her arms, looking disinterested.

"Is that so…?" The pig-tailed girl gave him a stern look, "…I'm Shirai Kuroko. As you can see, I'm a member of Judgment."

"I figured that much by looking at that armband, hehe…he… "Kamijou's chuckle dissipated due to Shirai's indifferent stare, "A-anyway, I was just leaving… eh… Shirai-san…"

"Explain something to me first. What did Uiharu mean by 'future'? I could be wrong but I think this means that you are not one now, so why are you here?" Her tone became inquisitive as her eyes bore into him, "You're not a member yet, so why does she say you'll succeed?"

"Umm… well…"

Shirai turned to her fellow partner and glared at her.

"And how do you know he will join this branch? You should know that anyone who finishes the training is assigned to a branch immediately," Shirai, moved her glare to the unfortunate boy, who was now looking perplexed. "There's no such thing as 'will join'… This is very suspicious…"

Kamijou observed the girl carefully. He could tell that, for some reason, Shirai's body language showed aggression. It was subtle but she seemed tense. This girl didn't just distrust him apparently, but was so wary that she was considering Kamijou as if he was a criminal.

In the end, the truth was that from the outset, he was irritated by her personality.

"While I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, I will," Though bothered, he decided to avoid a misunderstanding. "I have papers here confirming what your partner said. I belong to this branch, but I will not be officially a member until I finish my... Special training."

_(Geez, why didn't this come to me while I was talking to Uiharu…)_

The boy's tone noticeably annoyed the girl, and her glare took on a new intensity, as if she was scrutinising some bug about to be stepped on. To the side Uiharu seemed startled, but a gleam quickly lit her eyes. Kamijou wondered what she was thinking, but was distracted again by the other girl.

"Special training you say…?" Kamijou nodded as he daringly gave one-step towards the door behind her. "Whatever…" Shirai muttered, just inside earshot.

The girl with tawny hair eyed Uiharu and then spoke again, ignoring Kamijou's piercing gaze.

"I came for Onee-sama's cell, Uiharu. Where did you say you put it?"

The flower-headed looked confused before turning around, grabbing something from one of the drawers of the desk behind her, and gave it to Shirai.

"Here it is, Shirai-san."

"Thanks…" The pig-tailed girl pocketed it and then crossed her arms, directing her gaze back to him, "Fine then… I remember you said you were leaving… Kamijou-san it was?" The boy narrowed his eyes, not pleased she was kicking him out of the room.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"See you soon, Uiharu-san. I may come back here sooner than expected," Kamijou said, sporting a kind smile, and he spared a hard look for Shirai as he did. He had to admit his words were chosen to annoy the pig-tailed brat, but he hoped he looked cool while doing so. "I mean, who knows, right?"

The black-haired girl looked startled, but then smiled brightly while the pig-tailed one pursed her lips.

"Right… Good luck with your special training, Kamijou-san," The boy nodded. "Take care of yourself."

After Uiharu said those words, Kamijou turned around to leave, but tarried among moment longer.

"Thanks… You both… take care as well," He glanced at them over his shoulder, a somewhat condescending tone to his words. He had wanted to annoy the Tokiwadai brat, and from her sour look he apparently succeeded. With a smirk painted on his face, Kamijou walked out of the office without another word.

As he left, he heard Shirai saying something behind his back. He couldn't pretend to care at all.

Kamijou left the building in silence and headed back to his apartment.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Finally! Home, sweet home!"

Kamijou praised aloud as he swung open the door of his dorm. To his relief, everything was as he left it this morning. The boy removed his shoes, leaving them in the entrance and closed the door behind him.

It was 7:14.

"Damn I'm hungry…" Kamijou said to himself, walking to the kitchen and opening the fridge. "Hmm? I guess this will have to do."

The teen grabbed a bowl of leftovers from yesterday.

"Kake Soba… It's supposed to be eaten fresh, but I'm sure one day won't make much difference. Beggars can't be choosers…" Kamijou commented, sliding the bowl into the microwave.

3 minutes later he was seated at his tiny living room table, sitting on the ground cross-legged and comfortable. But even then, he sighed.

"Geez…"

Though today wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday, it had still been a trial, but the boy was finally accepting it was likely all for the best. If having to endure this kind of crap everyday would help him to keep helping anyone who needed it, then he would just deal with it.

Just before the boy could taste the warm food on the bowl resting the table's surface, his phone rumbled in his pocket.

"Oh… a message? From who?" Kamijou took it out and opened it, giving it a quick glance, "It's from Yomikawa-sensei? What now…?" Exasperated, he forced himself to read it well.

**Touma-kun, I'll come to get you at 5:50 tomorrow morning. Put your alarm and sleep early so you won't be tired for the training. You're gonna have to be in your best condition for this so sleep 8 hours, ok? I'll take care of telling school and the director. Don't worry, he'll understand. I'll make sure of that.**

Kamijou sighed. Not only was he going to have to endure a difficult training, but it would take place so early in the day. And that wasn't mentioning the make-up classes that he would be forced to have each night. The misfortune just kept piling on.

The boy sighed yet again and put his cell on the table. Suddenly it vibrated again.

"Another message? What did she forget to tell me…?"

Kamijou grabbed the cell again and opened it, but was surprised that it was someone new.

Someone anonymous.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 02 Section: Song 04 **Creepy! ****Yet awesome for this scene. I highly** **recommend it!**

* * *

**I am AL443WAYS watc-hing_you… I AM-ALW(º)AYS_wa34tc¿?hing YOU… _462_I am_alw+ays-wat(ch5ing YOU… I'm AL-WAY_s Wa6*66tCH_hing yoU… I_)&amp;%_AM waAA_TC=)H-ING OVER_yOu… I?aºM ALW_/-AYS WA-_TC/&amp;%HING… 7_=)_0**

The boy's eyes widened in fright, and a chill ran through his skin.

His cell slipped from lifeless fingers and fell on the table.

_(What the hell is this!? Some kind of sick joke!?)_ But Kamijou felt observed again, the same way he had at the school this morning.

Nervously, the teen stood up and observed his surroundings: nothing looked out of the ordinary. He walked to the kitchen, the bathroom and his small laundry nook but everything looked fine.

But those invisible, watching eyes remained.

Kamijou finally stood still next to his bed and stared at the balcony. Gulping as he slowly made his way towards it, he ripped it open with one swing, stepping forward to meet head on the mysterious challenge.

Cold air was all that greeted him, and he shivered as it chilled his anxious sweat. On the small space of his balcony, there was nothing but darkness.

"Geez… What is going on…?" Kamijou whispered, wiping at his forehead with unease.

The unfortunate teen waited for something, anything, to happen, but the silence remained unbroken.

Yet the hostile feeling dissipated, and soon it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Kamijou breathed deeply and returned to his dorm, closing and locking it tightly behind him. He did the same in the entrance door as soon as he could reach it.

The boy sat again in the same place he was before, and picked up his cell.

Kamijou's eyes widened yet again.

The horrifying message he had just received was nowhere to be found. Kamijou navigated through his inbox but it was not there, and he was sure he didn't delete it.

The boy scrolled all the way to the bottom, and his paranoia was rewarded. In the very last spot was another anonymous message, marked as read. It was before the very first text he could remember making when he bought this found.

It had no words: only one symbol.

**:)**

That smiley face was all it had to say.

Kamijou's eyes narrowed as he closed his cell. _(This is just freaking disturbing; how am I going to sleep now? What rotten timing for a prank!)_

Kamijou threw his cell to the bed, laid his head on the table and sat silent for an endless minute. His gaze finally fell down on the bowl between his hands.

"…But I am still hungry…" The boy grunted.

After gazing at his food for some seconds, he took a portion to his mouth with his old set of chopsticks.

He pulled a sour face.

"It's cold."

* * *

**The stain on Touma's t-shirt was actually Yomikawa's saliva, so you all can imagine what that meant... right? Hope you enjoyed it, see you all soon.**


	4. Break Me NOT

**Greetings fellow writers and readers, I bring you today a new chapter of Touma's story. Search for the corresponding section of this chapter in the profile of this story. **

**Thanks again to the awesome betawork of "Major Major Major Major". He, a fellow writer of the TAMNI universe as myself, and a more skilled one I admit, has a nice story you should check by all means. **

**Anyway. Enjoy.**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 03: The Gun Shoots Relentlessly: Break_me_not.**

**PART 1**

_(Damnit…)_

Kamijou Touma opened his eyes for the seventh time.

Since last night's disturbing text, the boy had been waking almost every hour.

And worst of all, this time was due to his phone alarm.

_(So much for getting my rest, huh…)_

"Geez... And Yomikawa-sensei is going to get here soon, too."

Legs swung sluggishly out of bed, and after several false starts, he inched his way to the bathroom for a desperately needed cold shower.

**o-0-O-0-o**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Song 01

* * *

"Oh, there you are! …Boy, you look tired."

The boy was seated on the sidewalk just outside his dormitory. He had stumbled out onto the pavement moments before, and now Kamijou blearily looked to his sensei, Yomikawa Aiho. He blinked before waving limply.

"I see you didn't bring your schoolbag… good… you won't need it," Yomikawa raised one eyebrow. "But why're you still wearing your summer school uniform? It's pretty cold out here."

He shivered: it was 5:13 and the sun had yet to reach this part of the city. But despite the chill, it hadn't been a mistake: Kamijou just felt comfortable with that outfit. And he had a feeling he would appreciate it later.

As before he didn't reply, too tired and too worried about the day's coming trials. He reflected that, despite being told to be ready, he felt as unready as he could imagine anyone being.

"Such a long face… C'mon, cheer up a little. Impossible training is waiting just-for-you," The woman winked at him. "You are going to bleed a lot today, honey!"

"I still can't believe a teacher is saying that," The boy retorted as he stood up. "And don't call me 'honey'."

Yomikawa smiled and leaned towards him.

"Mm…? You look tired… How much did you sleep?"

"Not as much as I wanted to…" The boy replied, massaging his neck with his left hand.

The woman frowned, leaning even closer, before suddenly grasping his cheeks with both hands. Kamijou was shocked, unsure of her intent.

"S-sensei! What are you doing?" Kamijou asked, shaking as he tried to loosen her grip, "This is way too weird."

"Didn't I tell you to sleep 8 hours? Did you even receive my message?"

Kamijou moved his eyes from the woman to the ground, no longer trying to get his face off her grip.

"Yes and… yes…"

The woman glared him fiercely, the distance between their noses shrinking by the second. (_If she's trying to intimidate me, all she's managing is being embarrassing!_) His eyes darted around, looking for witnesses who might see how awkwardly close he was to kissing to his sensei.

"Your eyes are so red, and those dark circles… you idiot! How are you going to train in that state?" To Kamijou's surprise, the woman shouted painfully into his ears.

Kamijou winced, pulling away to gain some space and staring at her with determination.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Picture 01

* * *

"Whether I'm tired or not, it won't change the fact that I'm doing this," Kamijou raised his chin and looked at her sharply, causing her to widen her eyes. "You said you trusted me, so I'm going to see this through no matter what. I'm not about to prove Tsukino right about me being a disappointment."

Yomikawa stepped back, apparently not expecting such a straightforward answer.

"But why didn't you sleep if I told you to do it?"

Kamijou scratched his head, recalling his disturbing evening. (_Should I tell tell her? Maybe she could give some insight on how to take this message..._) Then he realised that might prompt her to stay more nights, and he quashed that plan immediately.

It would be better to handle this problem by himself. He even had a theory about it. In the last two months, someone has been entering his apartment, moving around his stuff, but nothing was ever stolen except for some food. (_Maybe that creepy message is related to these events… maybe not…_)

"Exams are coming soon so I decided to study a bit," The only answer he could think of wasn't a good one. Yomikawa didn't seem to believe him, and he avoided her annoyed gaze.

"You decided to study the day you were supposed to rest? Of all the days you could have done it, you decided to do it the day before Yui's training?" Yomikawa put one hand on her forehead and sighed, "You are not going to last even the first day if you go on like this…"

"What are you worried about?" Yomikawa looked at him oddly, "It's not about the individual days, it's just about making it to the end, completing the training, isn't that right?"

She remained silent, so Kamijou went on.

"I told you, I will see this to the end."

"...But..." She sighed, "So you're telling me that you're still going to do the training? Despite looking like that?" The woman questioned.

"Even if I said I wasn't going to, it wouldn't change anything, right?" Kamijou Touma smirked, putting both hands in his pockets, "So… why don't we just get a move on?"

The unfortunate teen walked past her, and he heard her chuckle behind him.

"You are, as always, a very interesting person, Touma," Her voice was off, tone somewhat unusual. Kamijou stopped himself from turning around, his instincts telling him to not look back.

"Well, let's do this!" The boy said that somewhat louder than he intended, to cure his unease as he pressed ever onwards, "This Kamijou-san will not fall so easily!"

"That's the spirit!" Yomikawa's voice reached his ears as the sound of steps behind the boy told him she finally was moving.

"I guess we'll use your car again, right?" The woman soon caught up to him and nodded. "Alright…"

The unfortunate spiky-haired boy wondered as they walked to Yomikawa's vehicle what exactly he was walking towards.

**PART 2**

Like yesterday, the boy was waiting outside Tsukino's office while Yomikawa prepared his entry. Apparently, the lieutenant didn't like people entering her office even if they had an appointment. He didn't like what that implied about her intent or her character, but since he was going to be waiting regardless he supposed it didn't matter in the end.

Now that he recalled it, Yomikawa had commented on the drive over that she was one of the few that could actually dare to barge in without getting their ass kicked.

The boy glanced around the hallway, but the receptionist was nowhere to be seen. (_What was her name again?_)

The minutes passed, and when it finally turned 6 o'clock he heard the sounds of steps coming from his right. Soon, the figure of the sexy receptionist came into sight, holding some folders. (_Actually… A lot of folders. Inoue was it?_)

Kamijou stood up quickly and moved to her, "Let me help you with that-"

Before she could react Kamijou reached forward. But in the process of grasping the folders, the back of his hands accidentally brushed her breasts.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean… I mean, I did mean to help you but… eh… you know what I mean… I guess…" The boy sighed, already flinching from the inevitable rage.

"It's fine…" To his surprise, Inoue just flashed a smile and walked past the boy, "You tried to help so I know you didn't do it on purpose.

Kamijou was struck speechless; any other girl would have hit him real hard. (_Cough, Fukiyose, cough…_) Apparently, despite all his past experiences, there still were girls out there that were reasonable enough to understand that accidents like this one could occur.

"Put the folders over my desk if you don't mind."

"Sure," Kamijou did what she asked while avoiding to meet her eyes, still embarrassed at the softness he had touched. It was pretty impressive, but stacked up poorly compared to his classmate's. (_Hah, now I can proudly say I've touched two amazing chests! …Wait… That's pretty perverted, never mind.)_

"So, Kamijou-kun, how are you feeling today? You don't look very good."

After accommodating her request, Kamijou eyed her, but quickly diverted his attention and just massaged his neck instead.

"I'm just a bit tired, but overall… Yeah, I'm fine."

Inoue moved closer to observe him intently, stare moving all over his face, from his chin to his forehead, before finally resting on his eyes. Kamijou felt his nerves strain, uncomfortable under such a deep gaze.

"Are you sure?" The receptionist leaned even closer, causing him to involuntarily step back, bumping into the desk behind him, "You do look tired, but you also seem a bit nervous."

The boy's gaze darted from left to right as he leaned back, putting both hands on the desk behind him for support. His obvious attempt to gain some space was ignored as Inoue let her body fall on top of him, all her weight pressing against his own.

"Maybe... just maybe, I could help you relax...?" The girl said slowly with a devilish smile on her face.

_(What... what the hell is going on? Is this a dream? A really good one at that? Did I fall asleep in Yomikawa's car?)_

Just as Inoue's lips were closing in for the kill, a voice echoed in the hallway. She stopped cold, and both Kamijou and the bold girl glanced at source.

"Can you tell me what you both think you are doing?" The central cause of Kamijou's late misfortunate events asked with a startlingly aggressive voice.

"Yomikawa-san? / Sensei?" Both surprised girl and boy said at the same time, caught in the act.

Yomikawa crossed her arms over her chest, looking quite upset. It was the first time he ever saw his sensei with that kind of expression, and he was shocked at how intimidating her cold stare was.

"Inoue… we've talked about this before," Though momentarily frozen, the secretary pushed away from the confused teen, tsking while she did.

"What are you talking about? What's going...?" Kamijou asked as he turned from his sensei to Inoue. But the girl simply ignored Yomikawa's sharp gaze and focused her eyes on the folders over the desk. "What is she talking about?"

Inoue merely glanced at him before moving to sit on her desk's chair.

"It's nothing Kamijou-kun, just go to your training," The girl paused before grinning. "I hope everything goes well for you... Don't overdo it, and no matter what happens, don't let Tsukino-san get to you."

Kamijou analysed the not-so-friendly exchange between both females and frowned. There was clearly some kind of friction between this two.

"Let's get going, Touma. Yui will meet with us in the training grounds," The woman motioned for him to follow, but before he did, he waved his farewell to Inoue, much to Yomikawa's apparent annoyance.

Both student and teacher made their way to the parking lot located at the building's rear, but not a single word was spoken during the short trip. He didn't know if he was imagining it, but Yomikawa's seemed to be exuding anger, and something else he couldn't put his finger on.

The long walk gave him plenty of time to ponder the question of the story behind Yomikawa and Inoue.

Of course, this question would remain unanswered: he barely knew these two individuals and it wasn't his business anyway. What really worried him was that his sensei currently carried those feelings of hatred, meaning that she could vent them on the wrong, unfortunate, person.

Such would not do at all.

Yomikawa entered her blue Honda Civic; he had to admit it was a nice ride to say the least, though he wondered how she got the money on a teacher's salary. He could recall that it wasn't that expensive, but it still seemed unreasonably flashy for what he expected.

The boy stood in front her car and didn't move.

"What are you waiting for? Get in the car," Yomikawa practically ordered, likely unaware of her threatening tone.

Yomikawa pushed open the passenger door from inside and urged him vigorously in. Even more so than on the first journey to the Anti-Skill Central base. Kamijou was reluctant: she had been way too serious ever since they exited the building.

"I can take a taxi, sensei, I'll… just see you there," Kamijou remembered that he had no money for one, so a walk should have to do. He always preferred walking than having to deal with an angry woman.

Yomikawa's gaze hardened, and she looked even scarier than before.

"Enter. The car. It would be just stupid for you to take a taxi if I'm right here," Her voice became more severe, only fuelling Kamijou's desire to leave by himself. "Not to mention that we are supposed to be together when we get there. Why are you making a problem out of this?"

Kamijou remained silent as he searched in his mind for a good excuse, yet in that moment, he couldn't find any. It was like his brain was too terrified to work properly under her intense stare.

"Fine…" Kamijou muttered in resignation as he entered the car, "Geez…"

"What's with that attitude? Why that 'geez'? You never stop complaining, do you?"

"Sensei, I'm not complaining. Let's just go, ok?" Kamijou replied, carefully buckling his seat belt.

Yomikawa straightened her head and looked through the front window, before turning back to eye him some more. A full minute passed in uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Yomikawa started the car, the sound of the engine working breaking the silence and soothing the tense atmosphere.

The car began to move, and she quickly got them out of the parking lot. All Kamijou did was stare through the window at his left, trying at all costs to avoid looking at her; to piss her off while she was driving would be just too dangerous.

"So I see you get along well with Inoue-san," Yomikawa spoke, eyes on the road as if she was casual. Yet her dry tone almost more shocking than her anger, especially from the mischievous and playful sensei he was used to.

"Um... I guess."

Yomikawa's eyes narrowed at his response, looking even more upset. He guessed he had said something wrong.

_(Damnit… What's with her today? Gotta be careful here.)_

The busty woman remained silent for several blocks, but she suddenly spoke again.

"I see… so… Why don't you tell me more about yourself."

She didn't phrase it like a question. The boy lifted an eyebrow, confused at the command from the left field.

"More about me? Like what?" Despite his paranoia, Kamijou couldn't help glancing at her. While her face remained forward, her eye was tracking him carefully, "And why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"

Yomikawa refocused on the road and turned a corner.

"Don't know… just never talked with you really…" The woman paused, taking another bend at the next interjection, "We don't talk much in class. And all we talked recently was about the Graviton stuff and that strange ability of yours."

The boy observed her for some seconds, surprised but happy he didn't sense the anger she exuded before. If she was finally calming, he didn't want to screw this chance up.

"Hmm… Well… What would you like to know?"

Yomikawa raised her chin in thought.

"Tell me about your parents."

"My parents?" Kamijou recalled about his mother and father, "My mother always gives the vibe of being a very calm woman, but she can be really scary though… more so when dad acts stupidly around other women."

"Really?" A chuckle escaped her lips, "Like father, like son I guess…"

"What? Hey!"

Yomikawa gave him a sympathetic look before focusing on the road again, stopping the car at a set of red lights.

"Tell me more about your dad," The woman said, putting her arms to rest over the wheel.

Kamijou's drifted back to his childhood, gaze moving to the window as he began to feel to melancholic. All those difficult times with kids that hated him, that saw him as some kind of monster, a bringer of disasters.

But his father had always cheered him up, despite how bad things looked whenever his misfortune acted up. When he was feeling down, his father's wise council helped him endure the bad things as they happened, and appreciate the good. Of course, his mother helped too, knowing how to get him to smile whatever the circumstances.

In the end, it was his time with them that made Kamijou Touma the person he was today. He was grateful for the values they had instilled: concern about the suffering of others, an inability to stand by and ignore injustice, and a desire to always help everyone find their own happiness. That's how his father and mother raised him, and he would be always be thankful for an outlook that could counter his own ill luck.

Eventually, he settled on a way to express himself, "My dad always tries to do his best in whatever he puts his mind on… Like when he tried to get rid of my bad luck…" Kamijou's voice trailed off as he lowered his gaze towards his right hand, "Even when it seems impossible, he never stops working…"

The boy couldn't help feeling self-consciously sad. He glanced at Yomikawa, who sported an odd expression of her own. In a day of unusual moods for her, she was staring at him with gentle eyes. They were piercing despite their kindness.

"Sensei… the traffic lights changed to green a while ago…" Kamijou informed her lightly, happy to break the mood.

Yomikawa blinked twice before jolting, barely accelerating in time to beat the next red. Neither of them had noticed the horns honking behind them, and though he understood his own distraction, his sensei's came as a mild surprise.

As he dwelled on the problem, Kamijou's discomfort returned, for his educator's cheeks were red. _(It's almost like she's embarrassed… could that be possible? Seriously_?)

"Sensei… I think your face is re-"

"It's not," Yomikawa cut him off almost instantly, but his certainty only grew.

Having chanced one bold question, Kamijou withdrew another, suspecting she was pissed again. The edge in her voice was slight, but it was there. The boy sighed; he had no idea of what was passing on Yomikawa's mind, but felt it wise to leave this subject alone. At least for now.

"Then… do you have a girlfriend?" The unexpected question hit him like a slap in the face. He sputtered a moment, then quickly grew defensive.

"What? I don't know why you're asking me that, but it's not funny, sensei," Kamijou scowled.

The busty teacher's mysterious blush had long faded, replaced by an amused grin. Even though it was familiar, it bothered him all the more for the matter that prompted it. The subject was a soft spot for the unfortunate teen, and the reason for it was quite simple: He never had one.

"C'mon! Just tell me! Do you have one or not?"

The boy moved his face stiffly forward, keeping his voice emotionless.

"…I don't have one. Now, can we change the subject?" His voice was dry.

After a few seconds, he looked at her calmly. She returned the favour, but then turned back to the road. The rest of the trip was passed in silence.

**PART 3 (Training Session: 01)**

"So these are the Judgment Training Grounds…? This just looks like a huge schoolyard,"

The future member of Judgment called Kamijou Touma thought his comment innocent enough, but it caused both women to his right side to exchange knowing glances. They ignored him completely, walking into the big field before them, and Kamijou was forced to follow or be left behind.

It was here, in District 2's **Judgment Training Center**, that he would be doing his training for the coming three weeks. He knew from a half-remembered lecture that this was also the place where other prospective Judgment recruits did their 4-month-long based training.

Since he entered the heart of the law enforcement organisation's operating District, the boy observed the surprising number of big building complexes, communications towers, and other technical devices. They had boggled his mind, but eventually he gave up any analysis for a more pressing problem.

After some minutes of walking brought the trio to a large empty field, Kamijou couldn't avoid thinking that something was odd. While he had seen some Anti-skill members here and there, no student or someone who wore the Judgment armband was present. This was supposed to be the place where new recruits trained before becoming official members of the disciplinary committee, so their absence was strange.

Now standing perfectly centred in the field, Yomikawa turned around to face the teen with a soft smile.

"Well, Touma-kun… As you may have guessed, this is the place where the trainees make their drills," Yomikawa stretched out both arms broadly. "But today, this entire place will be just for your use!"

Kamijou blinked in confusion. "Just for me? What do you mean by that?"

Yomikawa lowered her hands to her hips as her smile shifted into a smirk.

"I guess you noticed that there are no recruits here," Kamijou nodded, glancing around him quickly. "Tsukino asked for a private session. At least for today."

"Damn those selfish bastards, they gave me only one day…" Tsukino muttered, kicking at the turf.

"You're the selfish one in here. Cancelling all appointments today alongside the training sessions for the other new recruits wasn't necessary. Really, you're impossible," Yomikawa frowned leaning towards her colleague. "You didn't do this for the other two, so why now?"

Tsukino pulled at a lock of her hair, looking bored. The busty woman frowned in annoyance but before she could complain, the younger girl answered.

"I don't want to waste my time unnecessarily, so I'm gonna test him. I want to see if he can really complete this training. If I'm not convinced today, then I'll just send him home," The white-haired female replied.

"No one else is going to come here? It will be just you and… Me?" Kamijou gulped, wondering what they could possibly need this entire field for, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Muttering, Kamijou gave another glance to his surroundings and sighed. He wasn't looking forward to being left alone with Tsukino. It wasn't like she gave him a good impression the first time they met, to the point he didn't even want to see her, let along train with her.

"Don't worry, Touma-kun. You'll be fine," Kamijou's sensei cast a reassuring smile at him before crossing her arms. "Anyway, I'll see you later for your home classes. Call me if anything comes up."

"Yeah, yeah… just get the hell out of here already," Tsukino yawned before stretching her arms. Kamijou couldn't avoid staring at her striking figure while she did, though she was not quite as lovely busty as Yomikawa or Fukiyose… or Misaki… or- "This is why I didn't want people around, you're wasting my time."

The busty teacher glared at her fellow comrade, before looking at the teen.

"Whatever, whatever… Just… take care Touma-kun, and do not falter. This training will be hard, but I just know you can do it…" The woman paused before smiling weakly, "I actually would have preferred you to take the usual training but you seem to be in a rush for doing this and I have seen of what you are capable of. Your will to protect is strong: you're the kind of person Judgment needs."

The unfortunate boy was startled by the faith those words expressed.

But where others might have balked, Kamijou felt determination taking shape within him. While Yomikawa loved teasing him, he knew that was just the playful part of her personality, and Kamijou truly felt they were much alike. After all, this woman, like him, wanted to protect people. As he narrowed his eyes, he thought that was all he needed to succeed.

"Just… don't let Tsukino break you, because she is gonna try to do that until this is over."

"Tch… he didn't need that warning… And you're talking like he's going to survive the day," Now that she crossed her arms so petulantly, Touma found it hard to treat her like an adult. Her slender physique did nothing to make the choice easier, and he sighed as he discovered another female kind that could confuse him.

Kamijou ignored her words and directed his eyes to the reason he was here, his trusting sensei.

"I said this before. I will see this through no matter what comes at me," Kamijou Touma spoke with purpose.

To varying degree, both women widened their eyes at his bold promise. Even if Yomikawa would never know, her trust in him was another reason he would not fail. (_No… She's giving me a reason why I can NOT fail. Let's show this Tsukino that sensei is right._)

"A-alright…" Yomikawa looked thoughtful, putting one hand on her chest as her eyes darted from one side to the other, while Tsukino visibly frowned. (_…and then pouted…? Those aren't the reactions I expected._) "I'll see you later then..."

Kamijou barely manage to make out her last words, she was so quiet.

However, even after Yomikawa said that, she looked reluctant to leave. Kamijou gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded in response, and she finally turned to the exit. Yet she cast one last glance at him as she walked away.

Honestly, he didn't really know what to think of her. Women were indeed a mystery.

"At last… we're alone," The voice of Tsukino called the boy's attention. "Now we can begin."

Kamijou lowered his head a bit to stare at her intently, readying himself for whatever she was going to come up with.

Suddenly he was staring down the barrel of a pistol.

Tsukino had pulled it from the thigh strap holder attached to her right leg, and pointed it at his face. Kamijou's eyes widened in shock. In a fraction of a second the woman fired the weapon, although he managed to move his head a bit by sheer instinct while she pulled the trigger.

The bullet passed at mere inches away from his left cheek and impacted on the far wall behind him.

"Hoh… not bad, boy," The mad law enforcer commented, sounding somewhat amused. "The other two disappointments didn't even move."

"What!?" Shock and anger warred on his face.

"Why are you like that? I just complimented you," Kamijou glared at her. "I was testing your reflexes, and I have to admit I'm pretty surprised. You did dodge pretty well, although I only aimed it to just graze your cheek."

"Are you insane! Something like that out of the blue..." The boy looked where the bullet impacted but then rolled his eyes, meeting her gaze again, "What if I moved my head to the other side? You could have killed me!"

"Yeah… It could have happened. Just be glad it didn't."

(_I can't believe this psycho! This isn't training, how the heck is she a high-ranking _officer?)

"Now, I want to see how many laps you can run on this field," She crossed her arms. "Begin!"

"For what? To test my endurance? Or are you going to shot at me as I go?" The boy sighed, annoyed how grateful he was for the normalcy.

(_Was this training really going to help me improve? To make me more capable? Or it would just kill me?_)

Kamijou knew he had little choice, so he braced himself to endure. More than happy to get away from her, he set off to the track.

One lap, two laps, and then three.

Time passed as the boy continued to run while Tsukino reclined on a chair that she seemingly brought from somewhere while he was on his second lap. The boy finally reached the seventh lap and noticed he had lost his audience. Instead she was playing with her cell.

Still, he kept running.

More time passed as the fatigue set in. He couldn't really remember which lap he was on any more; her felt his limbs grow heavy and the sweat drip down his neck.

Still, he kept running.

The supposed legend of Anti-skill wasn't even glancing at him, now with headphones on her ears. Kamijou was almost distracted from his exhaustion at how stupid he felt keeping on like this. (_If she's not going to look, I might as well stop._)

(_And yet..._)

He kept running.

The boy wondered why, but suddenly the simple answer came to his mind.

He wanted to show that spoiled white-haired girl that he was no pushover, that he wasn't a disappointment, that he wasn't weak. He had people that trusted him, he couldn't allow himself to stop, he just couldn't and he wouldn't…

Determination covered his face, newfound energy emerged, and Kamijou smirked.

He wiped the sweat of his forehead with his right hand and kept running.

And then he picked up the pace.

The boy stopped paying attention to his surroundings, his mind only focusing on his feet.

He had no idea how much time passed as he kept circling the field, and he didn't care. He felt light, at ease, free. Though he didn't know why…

Still, the boy kept running as if nothing else mattered.

"What the hell…?" A faint voice reached his ears, making Kamijou finally come to a halt, "How more are you going to run!? Three hours have passed already!"

Kamijou looked confused, slowly twisting his neck. (_Did she just say three hours…? For real?)_

"How did you manage…?" Tsukino's voice registered her surprise plaining. She kept glancing between him and the stopwatch in her hand.

"Three hours…? Are you serious!?" To him, it felt like just half an hour had passed, "Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"Does that even matter? You've been running nonstop for three hours!" She walked up to him, still sporting her shocked expression, "And you don't even seem tired…"

She was wrong, though she inspected him all over. Truly, he was exhausted. Although he was just panting slightly, he was totally drained. It's like all that energy he had before had drained the moment she called his attention and he lost focus.

"I… I'm beat…" Kamijou let his body relax as he slumped to the ground.

Tsukino observed him with an intense frown but Kamijou just shrugged it off. He felt like sleeping on the floor and at this rate, it didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Hey! Don't get all tired! This is where I wanted to get; now the training will truly begin."

Exasperation spread across his face, but he wondered what she meant by that. Three hours had already passed, and what were those laps for if it wasn't part of the training?

"I can't move… I need to rest a bit," Kamijou said between pants.

"No. Get up!" Tsukino unexpectedly shouted. "You have to get up!"

Kamijou sighed, what was this woman/girl trying to accomplish? The only thing he could do was to try to obey; after all, she was the one training him. Using his arms to support himself, he stood up. Slowly, but he did.

"Damnit…" The boy muttered, looking at her with tired eyes.

Tsukino's gaze tightened, putting one hand on her hip, as Kamijou tried his best to keep himself standing.

"That's more like it… Very well then, try to hit me."

Kamijou blinked twice, giving her a blank stare.

"What…?"

"Hit me," She repeated, to his bewilderment. Kamijou had thought he heard wrong but he apparently didn't.

"Ok…" He shrugged his shoulders while panting slightly, his eyes tired, yet feral, "Now I'm gonna ask you why, and you are gonna have to give me a good answer, because I'm seriously contemplating the thought of ignoring that ridiculous request."

A sly smile spread through Tsukino's face. It lit her golden eyes brightly, but it may have been from the sun.

"It's not a ridiculous request. I assure you that I'm far from wanting to be hit," She replied, "I just want to see something."

"See something? Like a punch to the face? Yeah right… and it's not like I have any strength left in me anyway," Kamijou massaged the back of his neck, now looking more bored than tired. "I'm totally worn out."

"I don't think so… I just saw you running for three hours without stopping, besides; I want to see what you can do in that state."

Kamijou sighed… How many times had he sighed this in the last few days? Too many to count, that's for sure.

But after breathing deeply, his steeled himself for yet another trial. He took a few steps towards her after deliberating what he would really be willing to do.

"I guess you are serious about this…" Kamijou said and Tsukino smirked, "I may not hold back."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Kamijou snorted. (_Was she testing me again?_)

"Alright then… If that's what you want…" Kamijou stood just in front of her, Tsukino's smirk not disappearing, "I guess I will have to do it."

Gathering all the strength he still had on his body, he delivered a punch directed at her stomach, but it didn't land as the boy expected. Tsukino stepped to the side, easily avoiding it.

"That was way too slow, try again."

"Did you forget I'm totally worn out?" He questioned, "This is the best I can manage right now."

It indeed was, even standing still was a pain for his muscles. She didn't seem to care though.

"Do what I'm saying. I don't want to hear more excuses," Tsukino's tone became severe, but he didn't really give a damn at her displeasure.

Kamijou just sighed as he looked at the sky with a blank expression, finally accepting that today was going to accomplish the impossible.

It was going to be worse than the last two.

**PART 4**

"We're finally here," A certain blue-haired woman said to the pale boy hanging from her left shoulder. "Could you at least try to move your legs? You're not light, you know?"

The boy didn't respond, but did try to unsuccessfully walk on his own. The moment he gave a step he fell to the floor, his legs unable to support his own weight.

"Hey Touma, are you all right?" Yomikawa asked, sounding concerned as she kneeled down to help him to his feet.

"I'm a total wreck…" Kamijou voice's was barely audible.

"Let's just get you to your bed, at least."

The woman took the boy over to it and Kamijou fell immobile, still panting. He couldn't move at all, his whole body an aching wreck. At what was worse, he could still see Tsukino's cocky smile when Yomikawa had appeared to pick him up from what he dubbed the 'Hell Grounds'.

"Can you talk now? You passed out twice in the car," Yomikawa sat on the bed. "What happened with you? I couldn't ask Yui when I saw you on the floor all beaten up, but I should have just taken you to the hospital."

"…" Kamijou tried to move but failed to do it. "I… told you… I…"

"Don't force yourself."

Still… the boy continued.

"I… just need to rest… that's all I need…" Kamijou's eyes met Yomikawa's awfully concerned expression. It was more than a little depressing.

"No, you're a total mess… What kind of teacher lets her students get beaten up to this extent?" The worried woman sighed, and then leaned towards the tired teen, putting a hand on his right cheek. "But why? I know you are tougher that the two before you, and still, they manage to return home by themselves in the first day, but you… Tsukino really outdid herself this time…"

That was an undeniable truth.

**o-0-O-0-o**

_As Kamijou tried and failed to land a hit on the white-haired girl during the training, the monstrous girl began to counterattack. It felt like she was trying to break every bone in his body, but thankfully despite the pain he had been spared that much._

_The hours passed as Kamijou regained to his feet multiple times, only to be thrown back down over and over. And try as he might, he failed to achieve the only thing he wanted in that moment; to hurt that girl back._

_Never in life had he ever thought of hurting someone, but his mad trainer knew how to push his weak spots beyond their limit. The physical abuse was bad enough, but she kept taunting the impotent teen, making fun of his weaknesses. Her mocking smile pushed his irritation over to rage, growing sharper with ever repetition of her hated three words._

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Picture 02

* * *

_"You are weak."_

And the worst part was, despite how much he hated admitting it, she was right. The breaking point occurred soon after she asked him one simple question.

_"Why are you here really? What do you want to prove? Why don't you just quit? I assure you this will get worse, a lot more worse."_

_In truth, it was three questions and a warning._

_"I am here to become a member of Judgment," Kamijou replied. "Recently I've had it made clear to me that becoming one will let me help and protect people. For that I won't quit, whether this gets harder or not. I will simply not."_

_The girl looked amused, examining the boy from top to bottom as she stepped forward._

_"Hoh… why do you want to protect people then? Because you're 'good'? Because you want to be a 'Hero'?" A chuckle escaped the girl's lips and a dark expression covered her face, "Or… you want to impress someone? Is that it?"_

_Kamijou glared, her questions getting on his nerves. He didn't like what she was trying to suggest by this line of reasoning._

_"I just want to help people, and I don't need a reason to do it…" Kamijou said darkly._

_"Really…?" Tsukino leaned towards him as she crossed her arms, "I don't believe you. There must be something you want in exchange for this. Everyone wants something; don't think you're someone special, who only needs to see everyone safe and sound. There is no such thing as that. Heroes. Don't. Exist."_

_Kamijou raised an eyebrow in annoyance, unconsciously dropping his stance. Yet he stood firmly behind his principles, despite this legend of Anti-skill. Many times people had questioned his actions, found him absurd in his dedication, people who couldn't believe in true kindness. He always wondered why, and especially did so now with Tsukino. How could she not believe in good will? How could people question them when they occurred in front of their eyes?_

_Despite his frustration, he felt too tired to argue, "I don't expect you to believe me or to accept my words, but this is how things work with me."_

_"You must have done something really bad in the past then, and you just want to atone for those mistakes."_

_The boy rolled his eyes. She was, without a doubt, a clear example of how people chose to deny the existence of selflessness and kindness in the world._

_"We're not going anywhere with this. I suggest we drop the subject."_

_"Yes, we should. We both know you are lying to me and to yourself anyway," A mocking expression painted her features as she continued. "No matter how many times you say otherwise, I will not believe it and you simply will not accept it."_

_"Lying to myself?"_

_"Yes… lying to yourself," Tsukino paused and crossed her arms, looking now quite bothered. "I can't really tell why exactly, but I'm sure there is something deep inside you that makes you have that kind of thinking."_

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Song 02

* * *

_Kamijou didn't respond, carefully choosing his next words. But in the end, nothing came out._

_Because he realized that in a way, she was right. There was something that motivated him besides the drive of protecting people, that made him think in the way he did._

_It was his misfortune._

_Ever since he was born, unfortunate events occurred in his life on a daily basis. His parents were forced to deal with the consequences, which they overcame no matter how absurd or difficult some problems turned out to be._

_It was not until he was old enough to discern right from wrong that it truly hit him. To acknowledge that he would never have a normal life thanks to the curse that brought despair, as some people called it, was depressing to say the least._

_Nevertheless he endured it with his family's help, even though it didn't always come in helpful ways. Like how his house had become a holy sanctuary with the many charms and souvenirs his dad, **Kamijou Touya**, got from different countries. Supposedly they would eliminate Kamijou's bad luck, but it hadn't worked so far._

_What helped was that he knew his father hadn't given up on his son yet, or his misfortune. Just knowing he was trying was something._

_Yet in the end, his bad luck allowed Kamijou to understand the suffering of other people. Their desperation when someone wanted to hurt them, their fear of evil and the impotence of not being able to protect those who were important to them. Not to mention the depression of being rejected by almost everyone he met during his youth for being the so-called **Child of Misfortune**._

_He had experienced it all, and knew that pain. That's why he fought to protect, to stop those who only sought to hurt, and if his actions brought even a little bit of happiness to others, then it was all worth it._

_Yes. He indeed had a reason for doing it. And he hated to admit that Tsukino was right._

_"Too much thinking, huh…?" The white-haired girl interrupted his train of thought when she spoke. "I guess I was correct after all."_

_Kamijou did not respond and avoided her gaze._

_"Well… we wasted a lot of time in this meaningless conversation. Let's just continue, shall we?"_

_It was almost funny to hear her say meaningless when she was the one who started it but Kamijou could only nod._

_"You are stronger than most, I give you that, and your will is solid but… if you want to truly change things, to be capable of protecting those who are important to you, then it's not enough," She spun around but turned her face a bit, her only visible golden eye directed at him. "Get stronger, risk your life for what you believe without faltering, strengthen your determination to the point of it being unbreakable, and I'm sure that you will achieve every single one of your goals. It just depends on you."_

_Tsukino's speech left the boy thoughtful. Every single word spoken by the golden-eyed girl was true and there was no denying it. After today he saw it made clear; he was not strong enough. All he had done so far was to intervene every time when he saw delinquents intimidating or attacking people, robbing them or trying to hit on unlucky girls. This usually led to brawls or chases, sometimes both, but that was all he could do._

_The truth was that he could not handle more than three people at a time, even in the best circumstance. That might not be bad, but someday it would be his end if he kept confronting every criminal in the city. And he had learned today that when he was exhausted, at his limits, he was next to useless._

_Honestly speaking, the confrontation with the group of thugs two days ago was the only notable feat he ever had ever accomplished. Because he actually accomplished something more than just saving people, he stopped a real threat to the safety of others. He still had no idea why they needed components from a lab, but knew it would be for ill purposes. In the end, not only he saved people but also stopped further violence._

_Maybe joining Judgment would be a good thing; maybe he would be able to do more than to just stop some thugs._

_Could this be his chance to become a real force of good? To become someone like the people he admired? To become a hero?_

_(Nah… that doesn't really matter.) So, after nodding, the first day of the training of hell continued._

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Yeah… she may have over done it, but… I don't think she was wrong about anything she did."

(_Well, maybe the shooting me with a gun part was..._)

Kamijou Touma's voice echoed weakly in the silent dorm. His sensei could barely hear him as she clutched his covers sharply.

**PART 5**

He didn't know when but at some point he must have fallen asleep because when Kamijou blinked it was **The Dawn of a New Day**. [1]

"Agh... I can't move…"

He shifted, feeling the grime of his dirty and torn uniform. He hadn't moved since he had been looking up at his sensei's face the night before.

"What time is it…?"

Kamijou tried to move his body again, only succeeding with his head.

The teen turned his face to his left and-

Never completed his look right before he threw himself out of bed.

"Gah!" Kamijou screamed in pain from both the fall and his aching joints. Yet he managed to pull himself up enough to confirm that he had indeed been sharing his bed yet again with the woman.

"God damnit!" Kamijou shouted, and the sleeping Yomikawa stirred. She too had not changed her clothed from yesterday, blinking alert.

"What is going on?" The woman blearily asked as she leaned over his mattress, "Why are you on the floor?"

"…Well sensei, what can I say? I thought the floor would be a better spot to rest, but I guess I was wrong!" The boy said sarcastically as he managed to sit upright.

Yomikawa leaned to the edge of the bed, smiling.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

Kamijou was startled by the softness in her voice, and made him more than a little nervous. Though that may have been from the way her breasts were being pressed against his covers, the thin white fabric of her t-shirt doing nothing to hide their form.

(_Damn it! Don't look at her chest, Kamijou-san!) _

"I'm not feeling better…" He muttered, averting his gaze to the side to hide a blush.

"I'm gonna give Tsukino a call, you need to rest today so I'll tell her to continue with your training tomorrow…" The woman paused before looking expectant. "If you decide to continue it, that is…"

Kamijou shook his head, putting a lot of effort into slowly standing up; Kamijou couldn't stifle a yawn before giving her a serious look.

"Don't. I'm not planning on quitting," His strong tone made Yomikawa blink in surprise. "And I won't miss today's training either.

"I expected that first answer, but you really need to rest," The busty woman sat on the bed crossing her legs and arms. "You can resume tomorr-"

"No," Kamijou interrupted her, giving a definitive answer.

"No?"

"No."

The boy was firmly resolved to go no matter what his sensei said. By his aching bones he knew it to be reckless, but even so, he couldn't back down. Tsukino's challenge was fresh in his mind, and despite his suffering, he wasn't going to allow himself to waste time.

"…O-Okay. I…I'll take you there," She looked anxious. "We still have one hour…"

The unfortunate teen just nodded.

**PART 6 (Training Session: 02)**

"I have to admit it, I am surprised to see you here, Kamijou-kun," The girl called Tsukino Yui said, wearing both the same amused expression and the same black uniform with golden edges. The glasses she wore back at her office were still missing, and so she still looked more like a teen than the woman she seemed to pose as.

A boy who barely stood unassisted in the middle of a large field shrugged.

"Why are you surprised? You don't know me. So how could you be sure I wasn't going to come?" Kamijou questioned the woman, sporting a serious face.

The white-haired girl narrowed her eyes, but then snorted and smiled lightly, "You got a point."

The boy put both hands in his pockets, shuffling awkwardly, "This place looks as empty as yesterday. Where is everyone?"

Tsukino smirked, "I managed to convince Oldie Manaka-chan so we'll have this place for us for some days."

"You talked to Oyafune Monaka about this? I can't believe it!" Yomikawa exclaimed, clearly shocked.

(**_Oyafune Monaka_**_... Who's that?_)

"Oh please, don't make it such a big deal. What's done is done, so don't complain," The girl looked at Kamijou. "I suppose you rested a lot for today. Let's begi-"

Yomikawa sighed, putting both hands on her hip and prompting Tsukino to stop. The busty woman hadn't really said anything during the trip there which was odd enough, and she didn't even seem upset like yesterday. Instead, the woman kept her gaze focused on the road all the time, not even turning to look at him when the traffic lights were red.

"What's wrong Aiho? Why that face? He's the one doing the training, you know?" Tsukino walked to the woman, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Yomikawa glared at her for some reason.

"You are insane, Yui, but I can't stop this now..." Yomikawa brusquely pulled Tsukino's hand from her shoulder. "I didn't have the chance to talk to you yesterday. Can you give me a minute before you start the training?"

"Why yes… Whatever is it?" The girl asked with a playful lilt.

"Just come with me," Said Yomikawa with annoyance before glancing at the unfortunate teen. "Wait just bit, ok?"

Before Kamijou could nod or say yes, the young legend of Anti-skill spoke.

"Fifty laps… Run fifty laps and we'll start today's training session."

_(Fifty laps? Is she serious?)_

Even if the boy was at full capacity, that many would be exhausting on a normal field. On such a large training field, it was sheer madness.

"He is not in the condition to do it," To his surprise, Yomikawa spoke up on his behalf. "Can't you be a bit softer with him?"

"Nope," The girl responded simply as she began to walk away.

Kamijou let out an exasperated sigh as Yomikawa crossed her arms, but her anger was ignored as Tsukino strolled away, enjoying the passage of the clouds in the sky.

"Fine, fine… I'll do it…"

Still facing away, Tsukino nodded at Kamijou's admission before turning to the other Anti-skill member. Before he could run to his trial, Kamijou felt a dense atmosphere settle between the two colleagues as they exchanged glares.

"Don't hurt yourself, Touma-kun," Yomikawa said as she turned around and walked away, followed by the gold-eyed girl who only smiled slyly at him before proceeding to move after Yomikawa.

_(What's up with those two? This almost feels like the same thing I sensed when Inoue... Well, let's change the topic, these laps aren't going to run themselves!)_

Shrugging off the matter, Kamijou set himself to the task at hand, and so he gave the first step forward.

**o-0-O-0-o**

A certain spiky haired boy was lying on the ground on the freshly shorn lawn, panting heavily and sweating like a pig. But he grinned because he had succeeded, despite the pain and fatigue he had brought with him.

He had run every step though he could just have cheated: he hadn't seen either the girl or the woman since they left for their talk.

But Kamijou appreciated the break, feeling he deserved it after such a difficult task. Though he would have liked to find a better spot to do it, the hard ground in the beating sun was better than nothing.

The teen had no idea how much time passed since they left, or even since he had finished running, but it couldn't have been that long. Since worrying wouldn't change that, he let his mind wander.

It was the first time in the last few days that he had the chance to gather his thoughts about everything happening around him. Like how he had gotten into this kind of training in the first place, had met someone as frustrating Tsukino Yui, came to know Yomikawa Aiho more intimately, the fight with the thugs... Even the little things came to mind. His run in with the Tokiwadai trio, the odd experience in that maid café, that unknown girl in his school's bathroom and Fukiyose.

Fukiyose. He had to admit, her friendship was the only thing completely positive of the whole ordeal. It felt better than he had expected to have someone accept his way of living, to even be proud of him and his beliefs. He was grateful for the joy that brought him.

Kamijou never thought that he would find in her the moral support he desperately needed to keep going. Many times before and even more now he had questioned himself, and had questioned his own actions, wondering if he was actually achieving something. But her words had truly reached him and made him more determined than ever to achieve his goals. No obstacle would stop him.

Now back from his train of thought, Kamijou found himself enjoying the sudden bit of shade as if it was a sign from above.

"How long are you gonna lie there?"

Kamijou blinked. Someone was standing over him. His eyes couldn't make out who it was, still blinded by his short-sighted staring contest with the sun, yet he made an educated guess.

"T-Tsukino-san?" The silhouette his eyes made out told him it was not his sensei, and the short hair also gave him the hint.

"Who else would I be?" The figure of Tsukino became a bit clearer, he blinked again and unexpectedly, the girl extended her hand to him, "C'mon, get up."

The boy was startled. Few seconds passed before reluctantly accepted the gesture and grabbed her hand. She pulled the teen upward, allowing him to stand on his feet again.

"I guess you completed all the laps, although you don't really look tired," She commented as she put one hand on her hip. "Your stamina is greater than I imagined."

"…I guess… though I am thirsty," While he ended completely exhausted after finishing fifty laps, the 15 minutes or more really did a good job giving him back some energy. "But how do you know…?"

"There are cameras all around the facility, and this field is no exception," Kamijou glanced around but he couldn't tell where they could be. "Don't bother, you'll never find them."

The teen made a bemused expression before shrugging his shoulders; finding them didn't really matter to him anyway.

"Here, catch," The teen turned in time to raise his hand and catch a cold can that Yomikawa tossed.

"Oh, yeah! I needed this!" Kamijou snapped open the drink, enjoying its coolness as he drank every drop without even glancing at the label.

It was heavenly: he had never appreciated melon soda quite like he did today.

_(Maybe when I open my eyes, I will be kissing a cute girl, hahaha… Oh, it's a good to dream.)_

The thought reminded him of a manga he read last week. It had an original but absurd plot. He didn't know why it suddenly came to mind... probably the melon soda. (_What was it... A… Akikan?)_

Kamijou's inner monologue ended when he opened his eyes. Tsukino was staring at him, and Yomikawa was clearly startled.

"That was way faster than even I expected…" The busty sensei commented, rather amused while the other chick just continued her, now creepy, stare.

"I thought the first time I tested it… Well, fine. I admit it," Tsukino crossed her arms, looking at him with mild… interest or… who knows what. "Aiho is right, you truly ARE something…"

Kamijou felt he was missing something, "What are you two talking about?"

Yomikawa and Tsukino exchanged looks before chuckling. He had no idea why, but he was glad they weren't arguing: their talk must have gone well.

"It doesn't really matter, right Aiho?"

"Yep Yui, not important."

The boy frowned. These two were obviously hiding something from him, and he doubted it was good.

"Fine, fine… whatever," Kamijou yawned, feigning disinterest.

"Well, I'm leaving, Touma," Kamijou turned to his sensei. "I hope this time you are conscious enough to take your night classes. Let me tell you, Komoe was really disappointed yesterday when I told her that there would be no personal classes with her favorite student, Kamijou-chan."

"It doesn't really depend on me," The boy gave a slight glance at Tsukino, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Well yeah it does idiot."

Kamijou let out a hearty laugh, at the cost of his already sore rib-cage. Yomikawa just chuckled.

"What's so funny? Hey! Tell me the joke, would you?" Tsukino pouted, a surprisingly cute twist on her lips.

Her unexpectedly childish reaction made it all the funnier. Though his amusement wasn't enough to overcome the intense bitterness the girl evoked in him, he wasn't willing to let it ruin everything good in his life. So he laughed, and laughed all the harder when his sensei joined in.

After they had both recovered, Yomikawa finally said her goodbyes to Kamijou and her partner, leaving shortly after.

"Yesterday I tested your endurance and stamina, today I… Will just inform you how Judgment works and all that boring stuff," Tsukino winked at him. "Although there may be some time to test your reflexes a bit more."

That was even more unexpected than her sudden attitude swings, and he wondered if this was the result of her conversation with Yomikawa. Either way, he would deal with whatever 'testing his reflexes again' actually meant…

"You're the boss," Kamijou simply said.

With that, the second day of training began. The boy was tired, and hoped he would not fall asleep in the middle as the girl began her lecture.

**PART 7**

"Of course, the one day there are good sales and I can't afford any of them," A spiky-haired teen sighed wearily as he contemplated the amazingly low groceries prices through the store's front window. "Such misfortune."

Kamijou averted his eyes from temptation and continued walking despite the pain.

As the boy headed home he glanced around the city. People of varied ages, mostly students, walked through the streets without a care in world, no troubles at all, chatting casually and laughing.

And then there was him.

"Man… this really sucks…"

The teen wasn't as tired as yesterday, and his body didn't ache all that much, but he was still a mess and that crazy girl was to blame.

After explaining the rules that he needed to respect, and the duties he had to fulfil as an official Judgment agent, she had indeed used the rest of the training session to test his reflexes.

She found it highly entraining. He found it highly insane.

_Kamijou stood in the middle of the training field, trying to figure why the woman had ordered some men to come over. They had set up four pitching machines, positioned around the boy. Pointing at him worryingly._

_It soon became clear why._

_"Are you serious? This is how you are gonna test my reflexes?" Kamijou asked, dreading the obvious answer._

_"Yep, I want to see how many balls you can dodge," Tsukino threw straight up a green ball she had plucked from one of the machines to the sky and closed her eyes._

_Kamijou watched the ball reach an impressive height, but gravity inevitably won out. Tsukino took two steps forward and one step right, and with eyes still closed, she caught the ball. Despite himself, the boy was impressed._

_The white-haired girl opened her eyes and smirked at his awed expression, "See? If you train hard, you will be able to do this kind of things with ease, my reflexes are keen because of my own training,"_

_Kamijou blinked confusedly, putting one hand on his chin as in lost in thought._

_"But… That feat you just pulled… Was that really your reflexes? I mean, I remember Komoe-sensei saying that a reflex was a nearly instantaneous movement in response to some kind of stimulus…"_

_Her confident grin twitched, "Eh?"_

_"I think that… what you actually did was predict where the ball was going to fall," Kamijou cleared his throat before continuing his explanation. "I guess you've done that trick before, so you're pretty familiar with how hard you throw, and then it's just gauging the wind, right?"_

_Tsukino looked at the teen blankly, "That was unexpectedly deductive…" Finally, she said, "But my point still stands! You have to train harder!"_

_"I know that already," The boy muttered. "Let's just get this over with."_

_Tsukino smiled darkly._

_"Dodging these balls coming at you from all directions is going to improve your speed and reflexes. Of course, it will only work if you manage to avoid them. I guess even if you fail, at least you'll raise up your pain tolerance."_

_Kamijou nodded, sighing internally as he braced for impact._

Thinking back, he was no longer wondering why the other two guys relinquished so fast. Today's scheme was just as crazy as yesterdays, but it wasn't going to be enough to make him falter. He had enough drive him to keep him going, no matter how his body ached, or how much his temper flared.

During the training today, Tsukino had been as insufferable as ever. He was beginning to worry that it wasn't his physical limits that would fail him, but his mental as he endured her unceasing abuse. No amount of superficial hotness was enough to ablate his growing disgust with her.

It took longer than usual to reach his dorm, his mood not improved in the slightest. For despite having spent all day in training, he was now heading not to rest, but to an evening of studying.

Kamijou took the elevator up, but when he stepped out of it, a surprise was waiting for him in the hallway just before his door.

"So there you are."

His exhausted mind took several seconds to piece together a response, "Fukiyose? What are you doing here?"

The girl in question was wearing an upset look and her summer school uniform. Considering the hour, she must have come directly from school.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Song 03

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"What did Komoe-sensei mean by 'you not coming to school for three weeks'?" The girl leaned forward, putting her hands on her hip. There was more than trace of anger in her voice.

"No 'hello', huh...?" Kamijou averted his eyes to the side, tilting his head a bit, "Well… Actually, I'm apparently not coming back for some time."

The busty girl narrowed her eyes, arms sternly crossed over her chest.

"Why do you keep trying to fool me, Kamijou?" But her severity turned gloomy, and he felt his heart twinge. It was an expression he didn't like much on her normally lively face, "You know you can trust me, right?"

The boy looked at the ground, her weak smile gently fading as her concern sunk home. He had underestimated yet again how strong their sudden friendship had become.

"I'm sorry… It's just…" Kamijou paused and rubbed his forehead, "It's just… that I didn't want to worry you with my problems."

Fukiyose frowned, but then gave him a reassuring smile.

"You fool… Don't you think I'll get more worried if you don't tell me anything? And what are friends for anyway, if not to support each other?"

Her wise words opened up his eyes, and Kamijou sighed in admiration. She wasn't just considerate of him, but truly thoughtful in general. He tried again to understand how close he felt to her just now, and was surprised at his feeling's depth.

"…I have nothing to say to that," Kamijou said with a playful tone, chuckling.

"Actually, you can answer my question," Fukiyose said flatly, eliciting another chuckle.

"Yes, I can do that…" Kamijou cleared his throat. "I have to take some training that happens to be during the day. It's obligatory, so if I want to become a real member of Judgment, I have no choice."

"But why? I know of some people that joined Judgment without missing school, why would it be any different with you?" Fukiyose tilted her head a bit to the left, looking expectant. "A friend told me her training was after school… Are you… are you still lying to me?"

This would be the first time Kamijou would see puppy eyes on the Iron Wall Girl, and it disarmed all his metal defenses instantly.

"I-I am not lying!" Kamijou shouted nervously, which made Fukiyose slightly flinch, "The usual training for volunteers lasts 4 months, time I can't afford to wait because I won't be able to protect anyone unless I do it…"

Suddenly, a sad expression played across his face, one that Fukiyose noticed quickly.

"What's wrong?" Her worried tone was clear.

Kamijou chuckled yet again, turning to the side while supporting his arms on the low wall, his tired eyes lost on the cityscape. "Lately, I've been thinking."

"That's a change."

"Excuse me. I mean a lot more than normal. And, well…" The boy sighed. "All the times I repeat to myself that I'm helping people, that I'm protecting them... I'm no longer really sure any more if I'm doing any good. If I'm doing the right thing. Everyone I met said I'm just being stupid or childish. Maybe they're right. Maybe I'm just lying to myself, just giving excuses to fool myself, justify my own way of doing things…" Kamijou glanced at the girl staring at him in silence.

To his surprise, Fukiyose smiled brightly.

"Don't you dare doubt yourself, Kamijou. I believe in you and I do believe you are doing the right thing."

Kamijou fell silent, himself now, unsure of what to say.

_(She's more than just impressing me now. I think I'm starting to rely on her.)_

"Thanks…" Boy and girl simply stared at each other.

Kamijou felt tempted.

Tempted to do, to say something stupid as his eyes buried into hers. He hesitantly moved closer to the girl, her soft eyes and softer lips...

Fukiyose frowned, making him stop. Her eyes averted to the side for some seconds but unexpectedly returned to watch him again. She met his gaze steadily. What was she trying to wordlessly say?

Kamijou gulped, nerves suddenly strained to breaking, heart racing. The boy had no idea what was going on but all his mind was saying was to get closer to her, to embrace her, to… to k… to k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-

A piercing pain shot through his left leg; Kamijou stumbled back and knelt down. Fukiyose rushed close and knelt as well, putting a hand on his back.

"Kamijou!? What's wrong?" A concerned Fukiyose asked.

The boy grabbed his leg, the pain unbearable; like he was being sliced into. Right where his pocket was.

Fukiyose kept worriedly shouting, but he ignored her as he reached inside. He grasped only his vibrating cell, and upon his touch the piercing pain transferred to his hand. Reflexively he pulled it out and tossed it aside, and it clattered down the hall.

Sweat fell from his forehead, agitated but relieved the pain was gone. (_How the hell did my own cell cause this? Was that even possible?_)

"What happened, Kamijou?"

The boy turned to the worried girl at his side.

"I… I don't know," He replied truthfully, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "My leg began to hurt all of a sudden... I think it was because of my cell."

"Your cell? That's why you threw it?" She was obviously startled, "What kind of cell does that?"

Both teens observed the little device still vibrating on the hallway floor. Kamijou was shocked, the only explanation coming to him that this phenomenon was caused by an esper. After all, he had yet to touch the device with the Imagine breaker.

"This is just too strange…" The girl helped him get on his feet, "What are you going to do?"

Kamijou glanced at her before directing his gaze again to the tiny object. He reached out his right hand.

A high pitched sound was heard in the moment he laid a finger on it, and the vibrating stopped. So too did the pain as Kamijou grasped his phone. With no small amount of apprehension, he scanned the area. Aside from them, the hallway was empty, but that did little to set him at ease.

"What was that sound?" Fukiyose's voice broke the silence, "Was it the cell?"

"No, I'll explain that later," Kamijou narrowed his eyes. "...Someone did this, an esper to be exact. But I'm not sure if he or she is near."

"But… what kind of ability could trigger this kind of effect on a cell phone? To cause pain on contact with one's skin? This is just insane," The girl with an ample forehead commented. "And why would anyone do this to you?"

"I have no idea but…" Kamijou faltered when he opened the device.

There was a new anonymous message in it.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Song 04

* * *

**I 2·"%am32 al·w$·ays w_$atch26(!ªing you, so d*^7^^()3on't do-th408%/at :(**

The boy narrowed his eyes before scanning his surroundings again. Fukiyose looked confused, but remained silent.

(_Another disturbing message. Who on earth sent it? Who is watching me, and from where? And for that matter... Why?_)

"But what? Kamijou, tell me what's happening," Fukiyose put a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention. "You are saying an esper did this? Why?"

"…I don't know but lately, I think someone has been stalking me."

"Stalking you?" Fukiyose sought confirmation.

"Yes… I've been receiving some weird messages since yesterday, and sometimes I get the feeling of being watched," Kamijou closed his cell and pocketed it back to his pants. "I thought it was just my imagination, but after this..."

Fukiyose frowned at his statement, which was honestly the expected reaction. Kamijou gathered his thoughts as quickly as he could.

Now he was certain.

One: He indeed had a stalker, who obviously knew him.

Two: This stalker knew where he lived and where he studied.

Three: This person managed to get his phone number somehow, maybe through hacking the Telephone ID list of AC or simply asking someone who knew it.

Four: His apartment was entered several times. Nothing was stolen but it was clear that someone moved his stuff, quite possibly the same person that sent him those creepy messages.

_(Don't do that… Don't do what? Kiss Fukiyose? Why this stalker wanted to stop that from happening? Damnit! My life is really getting a turn for the worse.)_

"You should inform Komoe-sensei about this, or Yomikawa-sensei," The busty girl's voice brought him back to reality. "I'm sure they will be able to help you with this."

"…I guess you are right. At the first opportunity, I'll tell them."

"Yes, you should do that," Fukiyose nodded.

Kamijou scratched the back of his head, letting out an exasperated grunt.

While the unfortunate spiky-haired boy was reluctant to get anyone involved in his chaotic life, there was the probability that this time his life was actually in real danger. Having an adult know about it was probably the best course of action. Komoe-sensei could give him advice while Yomikawa could tell him how to proceed in this situation.

"Is your leg alright?"

Kamijou grinned. There was no use to keep her worrying about this stuff, so he changed the subject.

"Yeah, it's fine," The boy chuckled. "Although, my whole body aches… Training is kinda rough."

"Kind of suspected as much… I didn't mention anything but I was wondering why you looked all battered and bruised," Fukiyose put a hand on her hip. "So… what about the coming exams?"

"Don't worry about it. Komoe-sensei and Yomikawa-sensei will handle my studies after my training sessions," Fukiyose looked at him, confused. "They will be coming here to teach me every day."

"Oh… maybe…" She hesitated, "Umm… maybe I could help you, too…"

Kamijou blinked twice at the offer. Fukiyose was an excellent student, with great scores that earned her the respect of everyone in the class.

"Really? Your notes should be helpful, thanks!"

"…I wasn't referring to that kind of help…" The girl muttered.

"Hmm? What kind of help then?" The boy said as he took out his keys from the right pocket, opening the door of his dorm. He then turned towards the busty girl.

Fukiyose looked a bit surprised, as if she wasn't expecting him to have heard that. He still could tell that she was acting a bit out of character.

"Eh? You heard…? Umm… I… I actually was meaning to help you study, too…"

"Oh, I see. I would appreciate that either way," Kamijou flashed a sheepish smile. "It's funny to think that I used to picture you as some kind of monster disguised as a girl, but you turned out to be a really nice person," He laughed.

Fukiyose stared at him blankly for some seconds before a tick mark appeared on her ample forehead. Rather than smile she scowled illogically at his compliment.

"You… why always…?" Her voice faded as she threw him a deep glare.

Kamijou blinked in confusion, as he tried to determine what could have possibly set her off.

"Let's just get this over with, smartass!" Fukiyose shouted as she entered Kamijou's dorm, much to his surprise.

"Wait! Today? You are going to help me today?" The startled boy said as he followed the angry girl inside his dorm. "I wasn't planning to…"

After pulling his shoes, something that she also did despite her rush, the boy stopped when he saw Fukiyose standing in the middle of his bedroom. (_What now? I don't want to ask, my poor flesh can't take any more _abuse!)

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 03 Section: Song 05

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"So… this is your place huh…?" The black-haired girl commented while she looked around the dorm.

"I guess it is…" The spiky-haired teen said, scratching his head with one hand and putting the other in his pants pocket.

Fukiyose's gaze fell on the short bookshelf at the left side on the TV, kneeling in front of it to examine the contents.

"Manga and more manga… where are your student books? I don't see them anywhere."

"Hmm… under the bed?"

Fukiyose turned his head a bit, and gave him a blank stare, "Why are you books under the bed? I would have expected you to hide your perverted magazines in there but not your books for school."

Kamijou's face flushed red at such bold statement thrown directly at his face. He felt really embarrassed.

"I don't-I-I don't have that kind of… s-stuff!" His voice wasn't sounding convincing at all.

Fukiyose furrowed her brow.

"I was just being sarcastic, you know?" A glare was directed at the boy, "Although I was kind of joking, you didn't sound sure of your answer… why is that? Are you lying?"

Kamijou's alarm system was triggered upon hearing her tone of suspicion.

"Ehem…" The boy gulped. "Want something to drink?"

He knew it was a futile attempt on changing the subject... Man… he was in a jam, but at this point, he wouldn't lose anything if he tried.

"No. I don't want a drink."

Fukiyose's scowl darkened… not good!

"Are you hungry then?" He asked nervously.

"Do I look like I'm hungry?"

"Well… it's not like you can actually look hungry, I mea-" Kamijou stopped himself after Fukiyose's pissed gaze nearly made him do the same,"Sorry, nevermind."

An uncomfortable silence descended, while Fukiyose kept up her glare. But suddenly she sighed.

"I know I can't really get mad at you or anything… You are a boy after all, and a stupid one at that," She closed her eyes, her scowl still present. "But I don't like perverted things, I just don't! It just irritates me."

"But, wasn't it you who brought up the subject?" Kamijou asked with an innocent but fake smile.

"S-shut up!" Her cheeks blushed lightly red, noticing his chuckle, "What's so funny, you idiot!?"

Kamijou continued to chuckle, but despite the attack, he was resigning himself too, yet instead she joined in with a soft laugh of her own.

"...Well, here. My notes," His new and now close friend Fukiyose Seiri said to him after searching inside her school bag.

He took the dark-bluish book she offered, but raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought you were-"

"Tomorrow," Fukiyose cut him off. "I better leave… Haven't slept well these days so I should probably try to rest today." It wasn't until she mentioned this that he noticed the slight dark circles under her eyes.

"Okay… Sure, no problem."

The girl nodded and walked to the entrance door, "You should, too. Don't push yourself, Kamijou," She put on her shoes and glanced at him. "Don't forget to inform the teachers about that stalker," An odd expression covered her face. "Whatever happens, never give up. I'll always be rooting for you... So, good night…"

With that, the girl left.

Kamijou remained silent, eyes moving from the entrance door to the book in his hands.

He felt his grip harden.

"I will not give up. That's a promise."

* * *

**Maybe you have noticed or not but Yomikawa sometimes call our protagonist by: Touma and other times by: Touma-kun. No, I didn't forget to add the '-kun', there is a reason for this, can anyone tell?**

**Reviews are always welcome, be them questions, ideas, or suggestions, etc. Take care and see you soon.**


	5. Dust STORM

**Greetings to you all. I finally bring today the continuation of Touma's adventures in the city of Science. I would have preferred to update sooner, but a sudden trip got in the way. Still, I have to mention that this is my longest chapter yet, so I hope this makes up for the wait.**

**Believe me, I would really like to update more frequently but I'm afraid that my free time is now little... Such misfortune...**

**Anyway, this time's recommendation will be of another story of the same universe as mine, though it's a crossover.**

**A Certain Unique Blond: Written by the author 'Engineer4Ever'. This story tells about a girl, Namikaze Naruko, who happens to be the second strongest level 5 esper of the eight existing in AC. Follow Naruko, Mikoto and company, and of course, the always unfortunate Touma as they face the Dark side of AC and the existence of magic in the world. Without doubt, this is a great story.**

**Also, thanks to 'Diller' and 'Tomonee' for beta-reading, and to you readers, for reading this piece of work.**

**As always, open a tab to my profile and search for the section of this chapter for the images. I've been listening music from the Music Libraries X-Ray Dog, Inmediate Music and Brand X Music; I have to say that their music is AWESOMELY EPIC! So from now on, I will recommend songs from these sometimes, of course, any song I'll recommend will have the same style as the music used in the Anime of TAMNI.**

**Read and enjoy!**

**\- Frank**

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 04: Across the Stony Hell: _Dust_STORM_**

**PART 1**

"I need to take a break, this is just too much information!"

A certain spiky-haired boy moaned, letting his body rest on the carpeted floor underneath him. Three long boring hours have passed since both Komoe and Yomikawa came to his place to give him the classes he missed during the day.

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Song 01

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"Kamijou-chan! We still have two more lessons to complete! Don't be so lazy-desu!"

Kamijou's homeroom teacher Tsukuyomi Komoe scolded, raising a finger to emphasize her statement, while Yomikawa Aiho, who sat at her side just nodded in agreement.

"Komoe is right, Kamijou-kun," She rested one elbow on the table in which the three were having the study session. "You can't neglect your studies, you need to be prepared for the exams that are coming."

Kamijou looked at the calendar on the wall by his TV, today was July 8.

"Komoe-sensei, when do the exams begin?"

"The system scan will be held on the 16th, while the normal exams will begin in a week from now, so you only have seven days to prepare yourself."

_(One week to exams, huh? Two weeks to summer vacation! Two weeks to freedom!)_

"But! You still missed a lot of classes! So even if you get good grades and improve your performance in the curriculum, your development credits are still way too low. In other words, you have to assist to the supplementary lessons either way-desu," Said Komoe-sensei with a cheerful tone.

_(WHY?!)_

Kamijou made an exasperated expression, putting a hand on his face.

"Fukou da…" Kamijou muttered. "So what's the point of getting good grades in my exams if I will be forced to attend these supplementary lessons anyway?" Said the teen as he grabbed a white blanket from the furniture close to him, and covered himself with it. "Man... I just feel like sleeping."

"Don't disappoint me, Kamijou-kun," Yomikawa spoke solemnly after taking a sip of her beer, which she brought with her when she came over to his dorm. "To hear Komoe's favourite student saying something like that, it's quite bothersome," The woman put down the beer on the ground and pulled the blanket covering Kamijou.

"Indeed, Aiho-chan. Even if Kamijou-chan has to take those supplementary lessons no matter his performance, that doesn't mean that he should be lazing around and wasting time uselessly, right?"

Kamijou cocked an eyebrow; he had no response for that.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Picture 01

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"…Fine…" Kamijou sighed and resumed his sitting position. "Well, I guess this is my fault so I can't really complain. Geez…"

Yomikawa grinned while Komoe-sensei nodded reassuringly. Kamijou had to accept this fate; these two women were being considerate. C'mon! Both of them could be using their time doing their own stuff instead of helping him, yet here they were teaching him.

"I wish I had some Methuselin pills and Elbrase powder with me… With those we could help you develop as an esper while we do these study sessions-desu," Komoe pouted.

"That would be kind of dangerous, don't you think?" The boy pointed out.

"Not to mention that it would be illegal too. To administrate drugs to a student without the proper equipment and surveillance is strictly forbidden. Though…" Yomikawa made an amused expression as she looked at the tiny professor. "I'm surprised that you would think of something like that, Komoe-chan. I suppose that for the sake of your dear student, you'll break some rules."

"I-I-I don't know why I said that!" Her face was red as a tomato. "I would never break the rules, Aiho-chan! This was just some random idea-desu!"

"Yeah, yeah... I guess it is some random idea..." Yomikawa chucked, clearly sounding a bit disbelieving.

"I think I'm gonna grab something to eat."

Kamijou stood up and quickly moved to the entrance door, putting on his shoes and leaving the apartment.

"Kamijou-chan! We're not over yet!" Was the shout he heard from his little teacher but he ignored it, proceeding to go for a walk again. Some steps in the empty hallway took him to his neighbour's door, Tsuchimikado.

_(I forgot to ask Fukiyose, so I guess Tsuchimikado is gonna have to tell me how everyone in the class took the news of my absence in school.)_

Kamijou knocked the door twice and waited for a couple of minutes. The door was opened by the blonde-haired guy. Even though it was night and he was indoors, he still was wearing his sunglasses.

"Kami-yan! What are you doing here-nya?" Tsuchimikado grinned. "I heard about your special training, such a good excuse for missing classes, eh?"

Kamijou looked at him with suspicion; he didn't remember telling him about his special training. Did Fukiyose or Komoe-sensei inform him about this?

"Wait… How did you know?"

"…I heard the shouts of both our sensei in your apartment… You bastard…" His grin was replaced by an angry scowl.

Kamijou stepped back as his eyes widened, those freaking thin walls! How is he supposed to have privacy if his neighbors can hear everything through those damn walls!

"Well, I can't do anything about it. They are both here to teach me the lessons I'm missing. As you apparently know, my training doesn't allow me to attend school so these night classes are kind of obligatory."

"Night lessons with two of our goddesses!? You lucky bastard! I'm so jealous-nya!"

Tsuchimikado gritted his teeth and grabbed Kamijou by his T-shirt, which caused the unfortunate teen to grab the blonde's collar in retaliation. He was not going to let this boy's ridiculous jealousy intimidate him.

"You want to start a fight here, you dick!?" Kamijou said fiercely as he shook Tsuchimikado violently.

"Bring it on, piece of crap!"

A sudden bad feeling made Kamijou stop short along with Tsuchimikado as well. A deep penetrating stare was being directed at two of the three members of the Delta Force.

Both teens turned their head slowly, their eyes meeting red ones. Cold drops of sweat fell from Kamijou's forehead; he could remember those eyes, those scary eyes that held no emotion, no life on them and yet, they probably manage to pierce through his soul.

"Oh, damnit… it was you…" Both boys removed their grips from each other and faced the new presence in the not so empty hallway. "I guess I still can't get accustomed to your presence-nya."

The black-haired maid Kamijou met two days ago approached at the two nervous boys. Although Tsuchimikado's changed posture suggested he was relaxing, the unfortunate teen couldn't do it with those two creepy red eyes directed at him…

"Kamijou Touma… we met again… and in the same place…" Her voice was as dry as he remembered it to be.

"I guess… I mean, the chances of meeting me around here are kind of high, I live in this dorm after all," Kamijou massaged his neck with his left hand. "Though meeting you here again is probably an odd thing to occur but not too strange when I remember that you know Maika… I think I'm making a fool of myself right know for speaking useless stuff so I will just shut up."

"You don't need to be wary or nervous around me, I mean no harm," The maid whose name he just remembered said, "Even if I do look like someone that would do something like that."

Kamijou observed her a bit and detected something different in her voice though her face didn't really change. Maybe her cold personality was not as cold as it seemed, or maybe he was just over thinking stuff.

"It's not that, Kurosawa-san. Although you have to admit that you're kind of intimidating," Kamijou smiled sheepishly.

He expected a smile from her but it did not come, instead she widened her eyes and then she moved them to the ground.

"Yes, I noticed that…" Was it him or was her voice sounding gloomy?

"But that's not a bad thing!" Kamijou raised a hand as if to pat her shoulder with him refraining to do it at the end. "Every person has their own personality, be it cheerful, depressing, boring, funny, scary or whatever," Kamijou cleared his throat and continued. "What truly matters is the road you decide to take in life along with your personality."

Red eyes observed him carefully. What was she trying to look at?

"You are correct, Kamijou Touma… Despite looking like just some random student, I can see there is something different about you," The maid glanced at his right hand before staring at him again. "Besides that of course…"

Kamijou was surprised. Kurosawa made it clear that she knew about the Imagine Breaker without properly saying it. Why did this scary maid know about his ability? Kamijou tried to connect the events from the last few days, however, no explanation on how Kurosawa learnt about his right hand came to mind. He just met her a couple of times and now she apparently knew about the anti-esper hand. Kurosawa did not just look scary, there was something else hidden within those crimson eyes, something darker than her presence.

"This sucks! I'm completely being ignored-nya!" The shout from a dumb blond caused Kamijou to narrow his eyes in annoyance. "I fear for Maika-chan! You want to take the maid route, too! This is unbelievable-nya!"

Kamijou rolled his eyes at the stupid comment; this guy really deserved being ignored.

"I already told you I prefer the secretary type!" What was worse was that he answered in the same stupid way, though he didn't know why he bothered himself with it.

"Weren't the nurses your favourite ones? Or it was… police girls-nya?"

"Well, gotta admit nurses are quite hot, and there's this charm with police girls… hmm… very hard to choose," Kamijou put a thoughtful hand under his chin while his other hand supported his arm. "What about sexy scientists? I think Aogami mentioned seeing one a few days ago."

Tsuchimikado folded his arms, nodding. "Oh, yeah! Sexy scientists all the way dude! However, hotties with glasses are the deal, too. Damn sexy-nya!"

"I couldn't agree more!" The spiky-haired boy smiled dumbly and nodded.

"Now I'm the one being ignored…" A deep creepy voice sent an indirect warning to both teens, stopping their stupid conversation immediately. "I don't want to waste anymore of your time," The black-haired maid extended a hand that was holding an envelope. "Tsuchimikado-sama, here it is."

Despite the black glasses, Kamijou noticed the serious expression Tsuchimikado made upon seeing the envelope. So what was that?

"It's from…?" The blond guy's voice faded, as if waiting for her to confirm his thoughts.

"Yes, it is."

Kamijou chose to remain silent. It was not his business to know who sent this, though his curiosity was already bothering him. It was indeed intriguing to see the usually dumb Tsuchimikado putting on such a serious face; this probably was a serious matter.

"I see… I'll be sure to check it later, send my regards when… you get back."

Kamijou narrowed his eyes, they were obviously hiding something, and while he tried to determine what, the only thing that came to his head was Maika. Maybe they were talking about something related to her, or her school. Kurosawa also attended the **Ryouran Maid School **apparently, so it would be only normal that she came to inform Tsuchimikado about Maika's progress or something.

"I will," Kurosawa nodded and glanced at the spiky-haired teen. "Kamijou Touma, be always vigilant. Whether you notice it or not, the entire world is moving at a fast rate. Don't ever let your guard down or you will regret it."

"…What?"

Kurosawa stepped back and disappeared in the shadows of the hallway, her red eyes were the last thing he saw before her oppressing aura dissipated and that deep stare with it.

"What… what was she talking about?" Kamijou asked to an equally nervous classmate.

"No idea… She always seems to say creepy stuff like that," Kamijou's eyes fell on the hand grabbing the envelope. "Oh, this is Maika's score in her last exam. I bet she exceed my expectations-nya."

Kamijou wondered in that moment if that was the truth. Deep inside, he knew there was something fishy about it... First, they didn't mention who sent it, and that was suspicious enough. Second, Tsuchimikado's change of demeanour when Kurosawa gave him the envelope… He doubted Maika's grades would cause that kind of reaction… but heck, he could be wrong.

"Can I-"

"Nope! To see the contents of this envelope is a privilege for only me to see. Only me-nya!"

Kamijou shrugged, "If you say so, I guess I will return to my lessons," The boy put both hands in his pockets. "I'm sure Maika did well in her exams, so well… see ya."

"Returning to paradise so quick, eh? You better get good grades this time, moron!" Tsuchimikado shouted as the unfortunate teen opened the door to his dorm.

"Look who's talking!"

**PART 2 (Training Session: 03)**

"You took a bit with those seventy laps. You are getting slower," A certain golden-eyed girl commented, getting up from a sofa located in the middle of the field, which she put there to apparently rest as the boy did his laps. This was ridiculous.

"Don't you think that happened because you added twenty more laps to the usual routine?" Kamijou retorted blandly, his breathing was coming forced and irregular.

"Routine? What the hell are you talking about? Anyway, today I'm gonna beat the crap out of you… again. Don't hate me, it's not personal, just a part of the training," Tsukino grinned.

Kamijou just gave her a blank stare in response.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Ouch! Ouch! Damn it! It hurts!"

Just like the boy complained, it was painful. After the training, Kamijou's body ended up battered with bruises all over his body, one of his legs were a bit more damaged thus why he was limping. He almost lost consciousness when Tsukino landed a ridiculously strong kick on his head.

Damn he thought Fukiyose had monstrous strength, but this girl blew her out of the water!

And now, the weak boy found himself being attended by a nurse Yomikawa brought with her when the training ended. His current location was the dress rooms inside Judgment's training grounds.

"This boy does feel pain, but there are no broken bones from what I see," The nurse, a woman with light orange hair motioned the teacher to get closer. "Yomikawa-san, please tell him to stay immobile so I can apply the ointment."

"Can you just put me and injection to suppress the pain?" Kamijou groaned. "I think it would work better than this thing. If the doc was here, I would be as good as new already."

Yomikawa shook her head. "No drugs. The purpose of this training is to make you resistant, to help you endure this kind of pain," The busty woman paused as she put a hand in his sore arm and delicately applied the ointment herself, much to his bewilderment. "Suppressing the pain would just not do, simply because you'll someday find yourself in a dangerous situation where there will not be any medication for you to use, much less pain suppressors."

"So what's the point of using the ointment then?"

"You have a new day of training tomorrow; and I suppose you will need some help," Yomikawa took more ointment and this time, she applied it on his left cheek, causing him to flinch from the pain. "But, I can't let you do it when you are like this, not after how you ended up on your first day." Kamijou was startled by her worried expression. "Those bruises look really bad and they need treatment so you can face Yui tomorrow.

"If you say so…" Kamijou sighed wearily. "Fukou da…"

**PART 3**

"I'm coming!"

After Kamijou's treatment, Yomikawa took the boy to his dorm. There, the woman decided that she would cook for him and then stay for his study session. Of course, this caused Kamijou to feel very anxious again.

An unexpected friendly chat without awkward moments, the ones that tended to occur when he interacted with her, passed as the woman made dinner. Though before Kamijou could eat whatever his sensei cooked for him, he was told to wait a while but… Damn he was hungry.

After hearing the knocks on his door, Kamijou hurriedly got up from the bed and headed to the entrance door. Yomikawa was currently taking a shower in his bath.

"I have a doorbell you could ring, you know?" Kamijou said out loud, opening the door with one swing. "Hm? Who…" There was no one to be seen.

"I'm down here, Kamijou-chan!"

The boy lowered his gaze, Komoe-sensei was there standing in front of him with a cute pout… Moe… Well, now he knew why the doorbell wasn't used, the little teacher probably tried but it seems it was out of her reach. Kamijou found this very amusing.

"Oh, sensei. It was you," Kamijou smiled and motioned her to come in with a simple movement of his head. "Welcome again to the Kamijou Residence, Yomikawa-sensei is already here so I suppose we will start our classes right away?"

The little kawaii teacher entered, leaving her tiny shoes on the entrance of course and glanced around the dorm, her expression blank. "Where is Aiho-chan? I don't see her anywhere-desu."

"She's in the bath-" The sound of a door opening stopped his mouth, widened eyes and a furious blush soon appeared in both Kamijou and Komoe-sensei's faces as they both turned to look at the source of the sound.

Yomikawa Aiho was just wearing a towel, her long dark bluish hair spread over her shoulders. This was just like the first day she came here, actually not too much, simply because this was an even worse situation.

"A-A-Aiho-chan! P-p-put on something! You are almost naked-desu!" The little teacher spun around with abnormal speed, looking at him with desperation in her eyes. "Cover your eyes, Kamijou-chan!"

Yes, this was a really bad situation, worse than the first time he saw her like that due to Komoe's presence… Seriously, this current event could be easily taken in the wrong way.

The teen did what his petite teacher commanded, he knew this was the only thing he could do to deflect any kind of accusation directed towards him, or at the very least, lessen the severity of his future punishment.

Kamijou waited as everything was black… Soon a voice spoke as he continued to cover his vision.

"What's the big deal? As you said, I'm almost naked, not naked, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?" Kamijou recognized that voice, which was obviously from Yomikawa. "Hello, by the way."

"Don't try to diminish the gravity of this!" Komoe snapped, her voice clearly sharp. "You are inside a boy's dorm room-desu! Almost naked! In front of a boy who happens to be your student!"

Kamijou did not hear a reply for some seconds, which made him a bit nervous. By all means, Komoe-sensei was right, there was no excuse for Yomikawa's behavior, there wasn't any reason for her taking a bath inside his dorm! There was no reason for her to have slept in the same bed as him! In the same bed! Or to make him join Judgment!

_(Kamijou-san, calm down. There is no use getting irritated by this anymore.)_

The pointy-haired boy removed both hands from his face as he let out a sigh. Komoe and Yomikawa were glaring at each other, which was pretty much expected after hearing their discussion.

"How many times are we going to argue about this? Nothing will ever hap-" The busty woman stopped her lips all of a sudden, and she then eyed at him, before looking back at Komoe. "I… I just asked him if I could take a shower because I was kind of sweaty and we had our study session ahead of us, so I thought that I'd use his bath instead of going to my place or somewhere else. Don't worry, I will get dressed right away."

_(Hmm? Why did she… Moving on!)_

"I'll wait outside," Kamijou sighed yet again and left his dorm while avoiding Yomikawa's eyes. His gut was telling him that he should not look at them for some reason.

Just after he closed the door of his dorm, he heard Komoe's voice, though he could not make out her words. It was oddly amusing to think that the separating walls between the apartments were thin enough to make his neighbours hear anything through them, with that not happening with the front wall of Kamijou's apartment. Even the door didn't help much as he tried to listen to whatever they were talking about.

A couple of minutes passed and he finally gave up, it was just useless. He couldn't make out a single word.

Kamijou spun around and sat on the floor, leaning his back to the door. He had to wait until it was safe inside, and he suspected it wouldn't be much longer because Komoe was probably rushing her… He had to admit, seeing Yomikawa again with just a towel again was… nice… He shook his head wildly to shrug off his perverted thoughts.

"Get on the line, Kamijou-san!" He scolded himself. "She's just a teacher! Though… she is… actually my type," Kamijou said under his breath, his palm hitting his face. "Stop thinking nonsense!"

"Who are you talking to?"

Kamijou looked up, his eyes meet a couple of big… eh… eyes…

"Fukiyose?" The boy started, his expression puzzled. "Oh! You are really going to help me with my studies?" The busty girl, who was carrying her school bag with one hand and a white bag filled with bread with the other, simply nodded. "I see. But, let's just wait a bit. Komoe-sensei is… erm… preparing today's lesson."

"I told you yesterday… I was serious about it," Fukiyose adjusted her school bag to her left shoulder. "Why were you mumbling stuff like some mad lunatic? What nonsense were you saying again?" She paused as she offered him a hand. "Isn't Komoe-sensei exaggerating a bit? This just looks like she kicked you out of your own place."

"Hmm… I don't really have an answer for the first two questions," Kamijou responded blankly, and Fukiyose frowned. "And if Komoe-sensei needs me out of my dorm, she must have a reason. I'm not going to question her."

Fukiyose furrowed her eyebrows at his blunt reply. Somehow, Kamijou felt he could now talk to her like this without the fear of getting his ass kicked. Suddenly, his mind evoked the event between them yesterday in this same place, causing him to get flustered.

"I suppose it's some weird boy stuff, so I'll rather not know," Kamijou accepted her gesture and the girl pulled him up. He hurriedly averted his face to the side as his mind still went wild with illogical 'what-if' thoughts. "You are right, I guess. Komoe-sensei had always acted wisely when it came to our studies."

Kamijou blinked; was it just him or Fukiyose's last sentence meant something a bit rude for the little teacher? It kind of came out as Komoe-sensei doesn't make wise choices unless it's about her student's studies. Maybe he was just overthinking, she must have not really meant that, even if it sounded like it.

Fukiyose peered at him with curiosity, leaning forward as she apparently tried to get a better look at his face. Kamijou scratched his head as his eyes moved to the roof, trying to avoid meeting her gaze at all costs. Damn he was still embarrassed and this was not helping!

"What's with you now?"

"Nnnnoothing really," The boy gave one step back and turned to see at the front building. "I'm just tired, you know, the training… Remember?"

She tilted her head to the side. "I suppose…" She didn't sound very convinced.

"Anyway, I was meaning to talk to you about something," Kamijou suddenly said, his gaze still on the cityscape. "About what happ-"

"Yes, I actually was meaning to talk with you too," She interrupted him. "I've been thinking…"

Her voice faded, her eyes looked at him with uncertainty. This was beginning to get awkward again. Though, now that he brought up the subject, he might as well clear everything up in one shot.

"I know. Kind of figured you'd be a little curious about that day," Kamijou glanced at her before continuing. "Everyone back at school think I wanted to join Judgment but… That's a lie." Fukiyose blinked, confusion painted in her features.

"Oh… it was about that," The girl stiffened. "But I don't understand, why are you saying this?"

The boy chuckled, a sad chuckle in fact. This girl gave him her support, accepted his way of life and even encouraged him to not give up on it and still he lied to her… not anymore.

"I joined Judgment because Yomikawa-sensei made me to, this was not my choice," The girl looked at him sternly, arms crossed. "You do know that I want to protect people, to help them, but this isn't the way I have in mind. I don't want to risk anyone for my selfish actions, and joining Judgment will cause this… but I guess I don't have a choice. I will just play along until I can find a way of getting rid of her blackmail."

"Blackmail…? Yomikawa-sensei is blackmailing you?" She questioned in disbelief. "With what exactly and why?"

"You remember the day when I fought those thieves in that alley?" Fukiyose nodded, a low glint on her eyes. "You should recall that Yomikawa-sensei is aware of all this events, like you."

"I'm starting to realize where this is going. Anyway, continue please," The girl's gaze was fixated on him.

Kamijou nodded. "The thing is… is that she simply thought that my actions were reckless and dangerous."

"Well, in fact they were."

The boy rolled his eyes, suppressing a sight as a dumb expression covered his face. "I'm aware of that, you know?" Kamijou cleaned the dust of his pants. "So the deal is that… she won't allow me to put my life in danger, which means that I will not be able to intervene when someone is in trouble, unless…"

"…You become a member of the disciplinary committee," Fukiyose finished. "I suppose that is just the correct thing to do, being our teacher and all, making sure of the safety of her students is her duty," She cast him a serious stare. "Cut the crap Kamijou, what's the point about this?"

Kamijou was planning to tell her the whole truth, but he wasn't just ready yet, even though this was a good chance to do it… yes… he had to do it.

_(Man, this surely will bite me in the ass later…)_

"I have the ability to cancel supernatural powers… esper powers… Also, the day Yomikawa-sensei stayed at my place, she did not come to discuss about some investigation," Kamijou paused upon seeing Fukiyose's blank expression and let out a sigh. "She came to 'convince' me of joining Judgment, or more like threatening me to tell my parents about my latest actions if I didn't accept her obviously forced proposal."

"Anything more?" Fukiyose asked coldly, her face still expressionless.

Kamijou nodded, unsure of how to proceed. Honestly, this didn't look good, but now that he had begun, he could not leave this undone. He had to be completely honest.

"Actually yes…" Kamijou cleared his throat. "Like Tsuchimikado said, I did sleep with Yomikawa-sensei… in the same bed actually, but nothing happened between us, I assure you."

"…After telling me all this, how do you expect me to believe you? You lied to me and everyone in the class."

Kamijou smiled weakly, his eyes directed at the ground. He was ashamed; he used what Komoe revealed to the class to negate the possibility of him getting laid with his teacher, making him look like some sort of hero or force of good, but he was not either. He used Judgment as an excuse for his actions, he lied... the boy just couldn't stop thinking about how wrong that was. Fukiyose had all the reasons in the world for not trusting him anymore.

"I don't expect you to believe me, you have the right to not do so, but at the time, this was the only thing I could do to prevent the rumor from spreading around and causing even greater problems," The boy explained.

Fukiyose stared at him intently for some seconds. He tried to read her, but it resulted futile, her face lacked all emotions, she didn't even blink.

"Answer me this… Was there really the need for Yomikawa-sensei to sleep in your dorm… in your bed… with you?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Song 02

* * *

Kamijou didn't reply immediately as he was thinking his answer carefully. He wondered why she asked this; he knew she hated when stuff like this happened, wrong and perverted stuff. However, he felt that the question had a deeper meaning, almost like it would change how she would see him from now on.

"So?" She urged, her blank expression now replaced by a scowl.

Kamijou suppressed a sigh, now that he was being sincere, only the truth was left to be said.

"…There was not. While it became late as we conversed about what happened in that alley and her proposal to join Judgment, she could have simply left in a cab. She suggested the idea of sleeping here, I protested, she didn't hear me so I accepted after a while," Kamijou leaned on the wall behind him. "She wanted to sleep on the floor I couldn't allow that and she also wouldn't accept me sleeping on it or the bathtub."

"So you two decided to sleep together on the same bed!?" To Kamijou's surprise, the busty girl shouted angrily. "Teacher and student sleeping on the same bed!? Are you freaking kidding me!?"

"Woah, woah! Hey, calm down, would you?" Kamijou raised his hands defensively at her outburst. She was seriously pissed, "Nothing happened! We just slept! That's all!"

Her glare intensified as she gritted her teeth, the school bag that hung on her shoulder fell to the ground and the one holding bread was squeezed tightly on her hand.

"I… I…!" The girl paused, her eyes narrowed, she looked hurt as if she was about to cry… What on earth is happening!? "I had enough of this!"

Fukiyose raised her hand and pushed the bag of bread into his chest. The boy blinked in puzzlement as the girl turned around, picked up her school bag and walked away in a rush.

"Where is Fukiyose-chan going?" The voice of Komoe-sensei was heard behind him, but Kamijou kept his gaze on the now empty hallway, the girl apparently took the stairs instead of using the elevator. "Kamijou-chan, what happened-desu? Fukiyose-chan told me she was going to participate in your classes. Why was she shouting?" The tiny professor asked worriedly as she stood at his side.

"It's... my fault…" Was the only answer Kamijou gave her in response before falling silent.

**PART 4 (Training Session: 04)**

"You keep impressing me, Kamijou-kun," Tsukino Yui commented, smiling a bit bashfully as she leaned her head to the side. "Just how resistant are you?"

The spiky-haired boy that heard her words yawned and then just cast a glance at her before walking to the starting point of the field.

"How many laps?" Kamijou asked robotically.

"…Eighty."

Kamijou nodded and raced around the field, gaining considerable speed in mere seconds as he completed all the eighty laps without stopping. This of course took a lot of energy and made his body ache due to the bruises from yesterday's training, if you could call getting his ass kicked in every way possible a training of any sort. His current bad mood made his fatigue almost non-existent though.

"You took less time than yesterday, huh?" The girl said as she made her way to where the boy was sitting. "Interesting…"

Kamijou caught the bottle of water that was thrown at him without looking at it, somehow he knew she would do that. "So what's it gonna be today?" The not so tired teen said after drinking half of the bottle, narrowing his eyes in boredom at the same routine. "Since we began this 'training', all you have done is making me more resistant to physical attacks by beating me up or using those baseball machines to supposedly improve my reflexes… When are you going to teach me something to make me more skilled at hand to hand fighting?"

"Don't rush. I know what I'm doing," Tsukino snapped, tapping her food on the ground as one hand rested on her hip. "I will teach you what you need to know when the time comes."

"When exactly is that time?" The boy asked exasperatedly, standing up as he did.

"When you are ready… But you aren't yet so shut up already and get your ass to the middle of the field!" Tsukino scowled as some Anti-skill members positioned the same baseball machines on the center of said field, all of them directed at one point, where Kamijou would be standing. "Hey! Put six more!" Tsukino shouted to a tall man, who nodded before leaving, Kamijou guessed he was going to bring more of those things from somewhere else. "Remember, Kamijou-kun. No stepping out of the circle on the ground."

_(Damnit… This again…)_

**o-0-O-0-o**

"You did a lot better than the first time, congrats Kamijou-kun."

Kamijou narrowed his eyes at Tsukino's empty compliment as he rubbed his sore forehead. As he dodged the balls, one hit him real hard in the forehead, causing intense pain and making him a bit dizzy. He could no longer keep avoiding the balls and all the rest pretty much hit him. Still, the only bruise that truly hurt was the one he was rubbing.

"Your praise is not welcomed," Kamijou retorted with apathy.

The white-haired girl frowned, arms crossed as she observed him meticulously as the boy sighed.

While he complained that Tsukino wasn't really teaching him anything, he had to admit that so far the training was truly paying off regardless. Running laps no longer bothered him, even if the number was increased every time he did them. His reflexes greatly improved as well, not only he managed to dodge a bigger amount of balls this time, but his performance during the ass kicking Tsukino gave him yesterday was not as crushing as the first day. Yet, this was just the fourth day… He shuddered slightly thinking what would the last days of this training from hell be like.

"Is it just me or you are a bit short-tempered today?" The girl speculated and was right on the mark. "You can talk about it if you want to."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow in awe, did he hear wrong? The girl was willing to listen to about what was bothering him? This was more than a bit puzzling.

"I certainly don't want to, though I appreciate your concern," Kamijou slowly got to his feet, grunting in pain as he did because of his bruised body. "It's just that I have a lot to deal with lately, but don't worry, I'll be fine."

Kamijou scratched his head, uncertain of what was happening in the mind of his trainer. Her interest in his mental health was totally unforeseen, and quite startling to say the least.

_(What brought this on?)_ He wondered.

Tsukino tilted her head, letting a "Hmm…" out of her mouth. Her golden eyes finally moved to her cell as she pressed the buttons on her cell quickly. "Well, I suppose there is one more thing you can try before I dismiss you for today."

"And that would be?"

Tsukino smirked before motioning him to follow her. The boy shrugged his shoulders and walked behind her until both reached the exit of the field. Kamijou stood in front of the big double doors that would take him to the main building of the complex. He glanced at Tsukino curiously and waved his hand to catch her attention.

"Are we going somewhere?" The boy inquired, curious of her answer.

"No… I just needed a tall vertical surface," The girl replied as she looked up and then down at the wall at the side of the double doors. "I want you to do this."

Tsukino took a few steps back and then sprinted towards the wall. Just before crashing with the stone surface, the girl put one foot on the wall and then the other, running up the wall at amazing speed. Kamijou's jaw dropped as he observed dumbfounded the considerable distance Tsukino manage to get by running on the wall before back flipping and landing gracefully on the ground.

"What…on…earth…?" Kamijou's voice faded as his mind still tried to process the amazing feat Tsukino just pulled. This girl is not human! To accomplish such a deed was impossible! It defied the laws of gravity!

_(…Why are you getting so surprised, silly Kamijou-san. This is Academy City we are in now…)_

Yes, though Academy City was the city of Science, the existence of espers defied the laws of most natural phenomenons, but… Tsukino was not an esper… was she?

"Ok, it's your turn," The girl stepped aside to give him enough space for him to… what?

"What? Do you really want me to do that, too?" Kamijou said in disbelief.

"Yes," The Anti-Skill legend simply responded.

The boy was struck speechless. Just what the hell was this girl thinking?

"Listen, I don't think I can pull off that… manoeuvre right now," Kamijou wiped the sweat on his cheeks with his hand. "Maybe next time."

"You won't know if you don't try… C'mon! Don't be such a chicken!" Tsukino walked to his side and patted his back reassuringly. "Worst case scenario, you will feel a lot of pain, that's all."

"That's not reassuring in the slightest, you know?" The boy glanced at the tall wall and stepped back, as did the girl. "Well then, here goes nothing."

Kamijou took a deep breath, exhaling after that. With determined eyes focused on the wall, Kamijou dashed at full speed and… tripped on a small rock on the ground, his face crashing directly into the solid vertical surface. His body collapsed comically after the ridiculous, not to mention painful hit.

"Pff…" Despite the current throbbing of his face, the boy managed to hear Tsukino, she was about to laugh at his expense and he couldn't really blame her. His accident probably looked very funny, if not stupidly funny. "That was a bit… puf!"

The girl burst out in laughter as he sat on the floor, massaging his face. A minute passed and the girl continued to laugh, now kneeling as her face became red. Kamijou looked at her and started chuckling, but it didn't take long before he joined her. Yes, his face ached, more so when he started to laugh but he just couldn't resist.

"Ow… my belly…" Tsukino groaned, her hands over her stomach.

Finally, their laughter died down after another minute had passed, Kamijou remained sitting on the ground, leaning to the same wall where his face collided just some minutes ago.

"Man… That really hurt…" The boy commented, making the girl snort as she cast him a quick glance.

"It sure looked like it did…" Tsukino's voice was barely audible, probably because of the workout her belly did. "Seriously, such a bad coincidence for a small rock to be in your way."

"Yes… fukou da..." The boy said flatly.

**PART 5**

"Well… This day wasn't that bad…" Kamijou said to himself as he walked among the streets of District 7. It should be mentioned that he was carrying his schoolbag, thought he didn't need it. Due to what happened with Fukiyose yesterday, Kamijou's mind was a bit distracted, so that's why he took his schoolbag without really much thinking when he left his dorm.

So, after being dismissed by Tsukino Yui, the boy decided to go directly to his dorm to get some rest. Now that he would be having nightly classes with his professors every day, his time was very limited. Of course, the undeniable truth was that he just wanted to be well-rested in order to get good results in his study sessions.

Upon reaching the corner of a block, the boy stopped. The city lights changed to red.

"I wonder if she's still mad…" The boy said quietly as his gaze was set on the sky.

It bothered him, having Fukiyose be mad at him after the telling her the truth really bothered him. He couldn't blame her for reacting in the way she did, after all, he did wrong by lying to her but the girl overreacted. Whether he slept with his sensei or not wasn't really her business. Still, she got very mad for that reason. He accepted her as her friend, like she did with him but that didn't mean that she had the right to judge him for it.

Kamijou now even regretted telling her the truth. He tried to contact her by phone that same day but it was to no avail, she just kept rejecting every one of his calls, turning off her cell much to his irritation when he kept on calling. Again, that girl jumped to conclusions before giving him the chance to explain himself.

Kamijou shook his head, overthinking this was not going to help.

_(Let's just give her some time, shall we?)_

Kamijou was about to move when the city lights changed to red again.

'Damnit, how much time was I lost in thought?' The spiky-haired teen crossed his arms in exasperation.

"Hmmm? Kamijou Touma?" A female voice came from behind, making the unfortunate boy look over his shoulder.

The voice belonged to a girl he met a few days ago, a girl he wished he would never meet again, a girl to belonged to that school of crazy chicks, a girl who was a dangerous esper to mess with… Kongou Mitsuko.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Song 03

* * *

"Oh… it's you…" Kamijou's voice didn't have any kind of emotion in it.

The ojou with a notorious forehead frowned at his 'energetic' reaction', which seemed to have bothered her more than he would have liked.

"What is with that rude attitude?" Kongou pointed the same green fan she had the day she met him. "Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Kamijou yawned, sporting a sleepy face that apparently furthered Kongou's irritation.

"Last time…?" Kamijou pondered… or at least feigned doing it. "Hmm… Nah, I don't really remember."

A tick mark became visible on Kongou's ample forehead, her ladylike personality disappearing with each passing second, guess he did it again…

"How dare you, commoner!" Kongou snapped. "Do you want me to put you in your place again!?"

Kamijou just gave her a blank stare.

"Listen, I don't have the intention of starting a senseless fight, so to save you the trouble, I will just lea-"

"Kamijou Touma! I challenge you to a duel!" Kongou smirked as she gracefully moved her hair with her left hand, her eyes full of confidence.

Kamijou's eyebrow twitched, "What...?"

"Exactly what you heard!" Said Kongou, leaning towards him. "Someone needs to teach you a lesson on good behaviour," The girl paused and closed her eyes, sporting an annoyed expression. "Even if that someone has to do it the hard way."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow in annoyance. He knew it. The next time he met her, something like this would occur. Honestly, he kind of expected this outcome and he was not going to let it bother him.

"Well, Kongou-san, I have to respectfully decline your challenge because this is simply absurd," Kamijou's deadpanned. "Don't take it personally."

"It's not absurd!" The girl shot back.

"It is," The boy replied with a bored tone.

"It's not!"

"It is…"

Kongou's face took on the color of a tomato, the girl was clearly angry. This was not the result Kamijou was hoping to get, he simply wanted to go home without getting into more trouble but at this rate… damn… another day from hell was at hand.

"Yo—you are so annoying! You… you hedgehog head!"

Kamijou's eyebrows twitched in irritation. Hedgehog? Like Sonic? Her insult managed to annoy him to some extent, it was just stupid but… it really bugged him.

The boy breathed deeply to calm himself and turned around, walking away from the girl.

"Where do you think you are going? You sure are an animal!" The shout of the Tokiwadai girl soon reached the ears of the unfortunate teen, who chose to ignore it as he crossed the street; Fortunately, the lights were green. "W-well… Yes! Escape from me! You must be so scared, coward!"

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Picture 02

* * *

Kamijou said nothing for some seconds, and then, to her surprise, the boy suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his face towards her, his eyes were fierce and intimidating; by her reaction he could tell that she was taken aback by this development.

"You know what? I changed my mind," Kamijou raised his right hand, the palm of the Imagine Breaker just in front of his face while the other still gripped his schoolbag. "If you want a duel that much, then I'll give it to you."

Kongou's expression showed fear in that instant as the boy lowered his head and continued his non-friendly stare.

"You better be ready…" The boy said darkly, causing Kongou to gulp. Silence surrounded the two, the black-haired girl stood there immobile, her lips closed. "What? Aren't you going to say anything?" His voice was sharp, his posture continued to be menacing.

"…Wha… w-well… O-of course you accept my c-challenge…" The girl stuttered. "I see you at least have some dignity."

"But we can't do it here, people might get hurt," Kamijou's face softened as he glanced around.

The girl relaxed, a mocking smile appearing on her face after a few moments passed. "Even if you were correct, it's not like our duel is going to last long for that to occur," Kongou waved her fan slightly.

"If you say so," Kamijou shrugged his shoulders. "I happen to know a place where we can have our duel without anyone getting in the way," The boy put the hand grabbing his school bag to rest on his shoulder. "But first I need to pick up some stuff if you don't mind."

This morning, Kamijou received a call from his sensei, Yomikawa Aiho. She asked him a favor, which was to retrieve a package for her from a store located in the Underground Mall. Oddly, the woman refrained from informing him what this package contained, though she suspiciously insisted on him seeing its contents when he retrieved it. This was giving him a bad feeling.

Kongou twitched an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "I do mind… Why does that sound as an excuse to just get away?" The girl lowered her head a bit, her eyes fixated on his. "You are not planning to back up now, do you?"

The carrier of the Imagine Breaker rolled his eyes at her pointless question. Didn't he just tell her that she would get her duel? Man, were all the Tokiwadai girls were so distrustful and annoying?

"I already told you, I'm not planning to escape or anything," He turned to his left, his eyes on the road. "Someone requested me to pick up something at some store in the Underground Mall; I have to go before 6:50 if I want to find the person that is going to deliver it to me."

The black-haired girl observed him for a few seconds, her fan hiding the lower part of her face.

"Fine then… I will accompany you to the Underground Mall just to make sure you don't run away."

Kamijou made a bored expression. The only thing that could make this day worse was having to withstand the annoying attitude of this chick all the way to the mall. Just… bothersome…

"Suit yourself…" The boy said, rolling his eyes. "But I would appreciate if you saved any comment you may have along the way for yourself."

Kongou gave him an intense glare, and it was no surprising actually. Kamijou basically just told her to shut her mouth in an indirect way. By the look on her face, she got his message.

"I could start our duel, right here, right now…" Kongou said darkly, causing him to scratch his head exasperatedly.

"Fine… let's just go…"

Kamijou began to walk but after a few steps, he came to a halt and glanced over his shoulder. The forehead girl was standing still. "What are you doing? Didn't you say you were going to come?"

The conceited level 4 esper made a curious expression, her lips then curling into a smug smile as she waved her fan on her face. The boy waited for her answer.

"When I said that I would 'accompany' you, I didn't really mean the word spoken, or at least what it implied."

The teen furrowed an eyebrow in confusion. "Hmm… well, I suppose I took it the wrong way then, I mean, I thought the word 'accompany' meant… 'accompany', so as to be in company with… or something like that, but I guess I was wrong now, wasn't I?" The boy said sarcastically.

"Then let me be a bit more clear," Kongou deadpanned. "When I said that, I didn't mean that I would walk beside you," The boy narrowed his eyes as the girl continued. "The correct word would be… 'follow'! Yes, 'follow' is the word I meant to say."

Kamijou also deadpanned in response at her words. "So?"

"You are quite slow, aren't you?" A tick mark appeared on Kamijou's head. "Anyway, I'll just wait for a fair distance to be created between us and then I will follow you."

The spiky-haired teen tilted his head, folding his arms as he looked at her sternly. This wasn't his first time dealing with an Ojou. Hell, he had to admit he had some considerable experience with them. None of those experiences were pleasant.

"I'm sure you are wondering why, isn't it?" Said Kongou, crossing one arm over her belly while the other supported itself on it, her fan closed.

"Actually… yeah..."

"It is simple," The girl opened the fan, it somehow looked like some sort of warning. "I want to avoid any sort of misunderstanding. What if other commoners like you saw us walking together? They could think we are having this so-called 'date'," Kongou snorted. "Would you believe it? Us… dating? It would be repulsive to say the least."

"I wouldn't believe it either… but don't you think 'repulsive' is kind of a strong word to use?" Kamijou said blankly as he lifted an eyebrow.

Kongou looked at her fan, seemingly uninterested. "Just go up ahead and I will follow you from a safe distance."

"Tsk… whatever…" Kamijou turned around and moved forward.

As he walked through the streets, the boy glanced from time to time at the Tokiwadai ojou, every single time he turned around a corner, the arrogant girl apparently ran to avoid losing him from her sight, or at least that was it looked like.

Why did he come to this conclusion?

Simple, the girl was always panting when she came within sight after each corner, which strongly implied that she ran to catch up to him. She indeed wasn't letting him go without having her duel.

The funny thing about this was that while Kongou tried to feign that she was not doing it, she wasn't really pulling a convincing job on hiding it.

_(What if…)_

An idea suddenly popped out in Kamijou's mind, maybe he could surprise and make a little joke at the expense of the Tokiwadai student. This self-centered girl should be taught a lesson of modesty, which actually wouldn't be about anything related to modesty but still, she deserved a prank for being so stuck-up.

Kamijou stopped and glanced at her over his shoulder, sporting a devilish smirk which obviously startled her. The boy then dashed forward and turned left on the corner, stopping there as he stood against the wall and waited for the girl to appear to surprise her.

Maybe… no… Most likely it was his misfortune acting but the joke didn't go as planned...

As he expected, Kongou did appeared seconds later after his fake flight as she turned on the corner, and yes… she was running. What he did not foresee was that this ojou would practically tackle him to the ground by accident.

Kamijou grabbed the back of his head as he tried to get up, man he received of painful hit. (_Huh…?)_ He couldn't move, maybe it was because of the additional weight… additional weight? The puzzled teen opened his eyes, only to find the girl that just collided with him was… on top of him.

_(Wha… what…?)_

Kamijou was paralyzed upon seeing in what kind of shameful situation he found himself in. Kongou's hands were on his chest, her legs between his; it was without doubt an awkward position to be in… seriously.

While Kamijou was stunned by this strange development, Kongou, who still had her eyes closed and most probably, has yet to notice her current situation, finally moved, making the boy feel far more uncomfortable due to her leg brushing lightly against that sensitive 'part' of his body.

"Ngh…" The forehead girl grunted as her hands moved from Kamijou's chest to his shoulders; the boy guessed she did this to support herself. While this happened, the only thing that Kamijou could do was to stay immobile.

Another grunt escaped from her lips as she finally opened her eyes… that widened in shock instantly. Her cheeks became red, and if the warmth Kamijou felt on his face was an indication of any sort, then his face must have gone red, too.

The distance between her face and his was almost non-existent, her eyes solely focused on his. Maybe it was his current situation but Kamijou could not tell for how long both stared at each other.

After an unknown but surely short amount of time, Kongou Mitsuko reacted, as he pretty much expected she would. Really, this kind of reaction was getting old.

"What… what are you doing, you pervert!?" The girl screamed, pushing Kamijou back as she stood up. It should be mentioned that Kamijou's head hit the ground again, in the spot that was already sore…

_(Ouch…)_

The flustered ojou put her arms around her body as if hugging herself; Kamijou suspected this reaction was some kind of mental defense to diminish her actual level of embarrassment.

"You! How dare you! I-I-I…" The girl stammered, her face becoming so red it would make tomatoes look pink.

"This is not my fault! You are the one that crashed into me!" Kamijou spat nervously. "I-if you want to be mad at somebody, then be mad at yourself for not looking where you were going!"

The girl leaned a bit as she put a hand down to grip her skirt as if to hide… something… and the other on her chest. "It is your fault! Why were you standing here in the first place?" Kamijou averted his eyes from her. "You began to run away so suddenly when you reached that corner. I thought you tried to escape and then I… Agh! This is your fault! What were you thinking?"

Kamijou stood up, whipping the dust off from his pants and picked both school bags lying on the ground, extending the hand with the girl's belonging to the respective owner. The girl looked at him warily before grabbing her bag as fast as she could, putting it to cover the upper part of her body while stepping back.

The unnerved teen rubbed his temples… she was right, but at this point, to accept he had the fault in this unwanted circumstance was not an option. If he admitted any guilt, this girl would probably bother him about it all day.

"What are you talking about? I was eh… walking slowly when I turned on the corner, but that doesn't mean it's my fault," Kamijou crossed his arms and closed his eyes, sporting a condescending expression. "Weren't you the one running? Sorry ojou-sama, but don't blame this on me."

The girl stiffened, apparently calming. "I just don't believe you. Actually, I think you planned this in order to do something to me."

"Is that so?" A sly smile spread across Kamijou's face. "What then…? What exactly do you think I wanted to do to you, huh?"

Kongou was taken aback, the redness in her cheeks returning as Kamijou waited patiently for her response... he had the upper hand. The girl was speechless, as if she was pondering her answer thoroughly, her face becoming more red as her gaze seemed lost… What… what is going on? Was she actually imagining her answer? Suddenly, Kongou's gaze was directed at him, which caused Kamijou's smile to evaporate as her embarrassment was literally transmitted to the now nervous boy.

It was as if he couldn't control his mind, which began to imagine weird stuff with the girl in front of him, weird perverted stuff…

"Y-Y-You know… Th-that t-thing," The Tokiwaday esper stuttered, putting a hand on her lips… this made Kamijou gulp, his metal agitation reaching critical levels. "D-Don't make me say it, you pervert!" The girl shouted and finally looked away from him.

"Okay, okay…" Kamijou scratched his cheek tensely. "Let's just go…"

Both teens remained silent, neither of them capable of saying anything else. Kamijou continued to walk to their destination, Kongou following him. The boy hoped this tense atmosphere would evaporate when they reached the mall.

**PART 6**

Kamijou finally arrived at the **School District 7 Underground Shopping Center**, which was composed of large networks of underground streets located underneath Academy City's surface. The unfortunate teen tended to visit from time to time the stores located across these underground streets in order to get the best prices for supplies and food. The boy even also came to this place to treat himself occasionally, when his budget wasn't too tight of course.

Then again, it was always better to save money for emergencies than to waste it like an idiot, something that he should have done but the temptation of acquiring the new seemingly awesome, which it wasn't, manga, pretty much took most of the savings he had at the time.

Also, paying for those two absurdly expensive dishes of curry hurt a lot.

After the uncomfortable situation subsided from his mind, Kamijou managed to calm himself during their not-so-long trip to the mall as he hoped Kongou did the same. He could not explain what happened a while back when he cleverly tried to intimidate the girl with that simple question that in the end was turned against him. Those weird thoughts just kept coming with the sole action of glancing at her flushed face.

"How much farther?" Kongou, who was not that far away asked with a raised tone.

Kamijou sighed, this was the fourth time she asked that same question, and it surely was beginning to irritate him.

"Being a little impatient, aren't you?" The level 0 deadpanned. "We just arrived at the mall."

"So where is this woman you speak of then?" The girl inquired, her tone held detectable curiosity. At least this time she was asking a valid, non-useless question that still has been previously addressed, but at least it wasn't the exasperating 'How much farther?' so he didn't mind it… much.

The boy glanced over his shoulder and then rolled his eyes. "Haven't I told you that the woman works in a clothing store around here?"

"It's getting late…" The black-haired girl commented with a frown.

Kamijou spun around, putting one hand on his pocket, the other still gripping his school bag. How annoying could this girl be? Her patience was NOT obviously one of her virtues.

"You know, you can just leave and we'll have our duel some other time."

Kongou glared at him, but something was different, there was something hidden beneath that glare, another kind of sentiment directed at him, though he couldn't tell what it was.

"Just… stop trying to escape from this… It's getting really annoying…" Her voice was faint, further puzzling him.

Upon her reaction, Kamijou couldn't help but give her a sympathetic look. Why he did this? He had no idea.

"…Fine, I will just shut my mouth… the place where we need to go must be around here somewhere," Kamijou lowered his head a bit, smiling softly. "Just bear with me a bit more."

The girl stared at him for some seconds, looking a bit startled while Kamijou snorted inwardly. Kongou was meaning to have her duel, in which she would probably kick his ass; that's why his last words to her made the boy find this situation quite ridiculous.

"Okay…" Kongou said as she nodded, her eyes moving to the side.

_(Well, she can be reasonable enough when she wants to… That is if this whole ridiculous situation could be called reasonable.)_

Kamijou nodded as well, feeling satisfied now that both had reached to an understanding of some sort, at least for the time being. Boy and girl proceeded to their destination. No words were spoken during the rest of the walk.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Spiky hair, hmm… Okay, you must be Kamijou-san."

A woman with tied black hair, probably in her forties, said to a teen with the aforementioned hair-description. The boy and his company finally arrived at the clothing store; its name was **Red Lili**. For some reason, a bad feeling came upon the spiky-haired teen when he read that name, though he chose to not give it any thought.

The store or more exactly, the fashion boutique in which they were now was considerably big for a shop. Stands holding all kinds of clothing extended along the walls as well as some tall black stylish furniture with varied forms were here and there, holding more clothing.

The boy was relieved that he finally found the place mentioned by his sensei. During their short walk, the silence between the girl and him began to creep him out as he recalled what happened between them just a while ago, not to mention that his brain wasn't properly working… with those impure thoughts emerging at random intervals in his mind, it was quite troublesome. Kamijou seriously wanted to get over with Kongou's duel so he could head over to his dorm for a well-deserved rest.

Kamijou nodded and took a step forward to the woman that would hopefully deliver Yomikawa's package.

"Yep, that's me," Kamijou snickered. "I came to pick up something for Yomikawa Aiho."

"Yes, she told me. Wait a moment please," The woman nodded before leaving.

Boy and girl exchanged glances and then looked around the place as some minutes passed. The boy observed some interesting outfits, then some skirts and then… bikinis? He was currently in the summer clothing section.

_(No, Kamijou-san! Refrain from looking at this! Nothing good will come out if you begin to imagine more stuff!)_

Kamijou quickly made his way to where Kongou was standing. The girl was intensely gazing at some accessories displayed near the entrance. The face she sported startled him a bit which was not ladylike at all, actually, it was more like a little kid looking at stuff she had never seen… he had to admit she looked kind of cute.

_(I wonder… What piece of clothing would suit her more? Maybe she would look hot with that dre-! W-w-whoa! Where did that come from!?)_

Kamijou shook his head wildly, really where did THAT come from?

The disturbed boy cast a glance to Kongou again… something was different. Kongou Mitsuko was wearing a maid outfit!

"Eh?" Was all that came out of his mouth as his eyes remained fixated on the girl, a dumb expression slowly forming on his face as his cheeks became hot.

_(When did the girl change her clothes? Why would she do it in the first place? Am I imagining this or what?)_

"…What?" Kongou questioned, furrowing an eyebrow as she noticed the boy staring at her. "Is… is there something on my face?"

Kamijou covered his eyes with a hand as he tried to calm himself. What has gotten into him all of a sudden? This was the first time something like this happened to the unfortunate teen.

"…N-no… it's nothing…"

The boy finally removed the hand from his face. To his relieve, Kongou was back to her Tokiwadai uniform. He must have hallucinated… but what caused this delusion? Their little accident? No… it was…

_(Damn you Tsuchimikado! For bringing up the maid subject earlier…)_

"In any case, after you get that package, we will have our duel, right?"

Kamijou cleared this throat, shrugging off those impure thoughts… finally… so he focused on the matter at hand, which was getting Yomikawa's stuff and then surviving Kongou's duel.

"I suppose…" The boy replied with disdain.

"Do not 'suppose' me! We are going to have that duel no matter what!" Kongou snapped in irritation. "It's not like you had another option in the first place."

The boy sighed wearily. "I think I haven't asked you this but… Why do you want to have this duel so badly? With me, a level 0?"

Kongou seemed surprised for a few seconds before a serious expression spread across her face, that very same expression she sported when she got mad when he called her 'Forehead-san'.

"I remember…" Kamijou furrowed an eyebrow, expectant of her next words. "…I remember how you dodged that trash can without even looking at it in mere seconds… I know I was a bit overboard when I attacked you like that but you simply ducked under it at the very last moment," Kongou raised her hand, pointing her fan towards him. "You are different from the rest of the level 0 espers I have seen, that much I can tell… that's why I want this duel, to clear my doubts about you once and for all."

Kamijou remained silent as he pondered his reply carefully. He was tired, and his body battered, he would have liked to just go home but her eyes told him she was serious, she wanted to test him for some reason. Besides, this was also his chance to settle everything with her and move on with his life…

"Whatever you say, Ojou-sama," The teen sighed in resignation.

Kongou looked somehow satisfied with his answer so she averted her attention to some colored watches being displayed in a stand by her side. A couple of minutes passed while they waited in silence.

"Kamijou-san, here it is," The woman from before appeared before both teens, carrying a shopping bag in her left hand that probably carried some garment.

"Thanks!" Kamijou said cheerfully, receiving Yomikawa's bag.

"Oh, I forgot to remove the ticket!" The woman opened the bag which was still in Kamijou's hands and took out a… babydoll… A BABYDOLL…!? Much to Kamijou's surprise, the woman took a blue, disturbingly sexy babydoll from the bag.

Kamijou and Kongou were stunned as they continued to stare at the bold piece of clothing in awe. They just remained speechless while the woman took away the mentioned ticket from it and put it back on the bag.

"Now it's ready for you to take it," The woman said with a kind smile, apparently oblivious to the implications this brought upon the spiky-haired teen.

Widened eyes darted between the woman and the bag Kamijou was holding as he tried to process what was going on. Suddenly, the woman took out a camera and took a picture of him.

"What the…" The boy blinked in confusion. "…hell is going on?"

The woman flashed another smile after pocketing the tiny device. "Yomikawa-kun told me to do this when I gave her belonging to you," The woman nodded slightly.

"So… the question in my head in this moment is… WHY?" The boy inquired, his tone exasperated.

"Is… is that what you wanted to pick up?" The boy turned his head slowly to the source of a soft, yet creepy voice that came from behind.

Kamijou gulped at the sight of Kongou's current expression… a cold, indifferent, lifeless expression. Man, it was quite disturbing.

"I'm as surprised as you are!" Kamijou spat nervously, giving a quick glance at the contents of the bag in his grip. "B-believe me! I didn't know it was that!"

Cold drops of sweat trailed across his neck as the Tokiwadai level 4 esper kept her gelid eyes fixated on him, a bad feeling spreading through his being. He needed to fix this situation before it escalated to something he couldn't control.

"Excuse me miss. Please, could you tell me why Yomikawa…san bought this without taking it with her? And why you took a picture of me?"

The woman nodded slightly. "Yomikawa-kun purchased the babydoll through our online web store a day ago, though she called me to say that she would send someone to pick it up, instead of accepting our delivery system," The woman put a thoughtful hand on her chin. "And well, I happen to be an acquaintance of her so she asked me this favor."

_(Darn… you had all this planned, hadn't you…?)_

The boy turned to face the girl again, her face was still the same.

"This is just a prank from a teacher of my school. Please, don't jump to conclusions…" The boy groaned.

The girl with an ample forehead observed him carefully, her eyes narrowing a bit as she apparently deliberated about his credibility… and a minute passed…

"Fine…I will not jump to any conclusion nor I will ask you any explanation about this," She said dryly. "It doesn't concern me about what kind of life you decide to live," The girl paused before making an apathetic grimace. "My only business with you will be over with our duel. Then, we won't see each other ever again."

_(Ok, that was a bit cold…)_

Kamijou sighed in resignation, he didn't need her to believe him and it was not like he enjoyed her company either, she was a spoiled annoying ojou-sama after all. Not seeing each other was for the best for both parties, the boy knew that. While cold, her words were honestly a relief to him.

"Then let's get this over with," Kamijou looked at Yomikawa's acquaintance. "Despite this weird development, I appreciate that you gave us some of your time, miss… Thank you."

Kamijou shot her a soft smile as he nodded, before picking up his school bag from a seat by the wall at his left. The woman furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at him with an odd expression.

"I guess it's not surprising that she…" The woman giggled. "Well, good-bye then, Kamijou-san. I wish you the best in your future endeavours."

The woman walked away, leaving a certain unfortunate spiky-haired boy thoughtful. What was not surprising about Yomikawa? …He had a bad feeling about this…

"Let us depart, then," Kongou walked past him, heading to the exit of the store.

Kamijou watched her in silence until she got out of the store and sighed afterwards. The boy wanted this day to be over, but it seemed he would have to wait a bit longer… geez…

**PART 7**

As both teens strolled through the undergrounds streets, their destination, an empty field near a certain iron railway bridge, Kamijou's attention was caught by shouts coming from one of the stores around, though he could not pin point from where the noise originated.

"No way! I didn't even manage to hit her!"

Soon, a loud shout caused Kamijou, and possibly Kongou, to look in the direction of a game station, located at their right side. In it, a group of people, mostly students, were congregated for some reason.

"Hit? Did I just hear 'hit her'?" Kamijou asked to himself as he entered the game store and pushed himself through the crowd, carrying both his shop and school bag with one hand. "Oh, it was that."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Song 04

* * *

The unfortunate teen observed the sight before him. Two arcades stood one in front of the other with one person respectively in each of them.

"Hah! I knew you were another loser, next!" The girl that stood in front of the arcade that apparently won a fighting game said before laughing mockingly.

She had blond hair like a certain mind-controller friend he had, and blue eyes, giving her the look of a girl from another country. Her outfit was composed of a dark blue sailor top, a pleated skirt, a pair of pumps and a dark-colored pantyhose. She also wore a dark blue beret on her head.

"It's not fair! You… you must be cheating!" A brown-haired boy wearing a school uniform shouted from the other arcade.

"Cry all you want loser but I won fair and square," The blonde said mockingly as she supported her body on the gaming system, sporting a bored expression. "In the end, you turned out to be another let down. Just go away, others are waiting their turn to lose."

The student gritted his teen in impotence, but he could not do anything. The loser of the match slumped forward in resignation as manly tears poured from his eyes. He had to admit he failed…

Kamijou narrowed his eyes; from what he could understand of the current situation, the honor of a man had been destroyed so he could not ignore it. The unfortunate teen walked forward to the kneeled person and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, patting it softly.

"C'mon, get up. There is always a next time," The boy said reassuringly. "Only when we fail, we can understand why we did… and what we lacked in order to overcome our mistakes and finally succeed… That is the way of a man."

The shouts of support soon were heard across the place, as more manly cries erupted among the crowd. The student looked at Kamijou with hopeful eyes, which became determined after a couple of seconds.

"Yes, I will not give up!" The boy said enthusiastically.

Both Kamijou and the now determined student nodded to each other, as more shouts on encouragement erupted from the male spectators. The brown haired boy turned around and pointed a finger to the blonde.

"You heard? I will defeat you next time!" The boy shouted before leaving the game store with a solemn expression on his face. Kamijou smiled as more cheers wear heard while the blonde seemed unaffected by them.

"What's with these exaggerated reactions? That guy just lost in a fighting game," A girl on the crowd commented.

"Don't try to understand this, boys are always ridiculous," Said another girl.

"Shut up!" Some guy shouted. "You would never understand the feelings of a true man!"

Kamijou shook his head as the debate between more and more students continued. The boy walked quietly to the exit of the store. His task here was complete, that blonde sure looked like trouble so to get away from her was in order, at least, that was what his gut was telling him.

"So, who's next?" The blue-eyed girl said out loud, causing Kamijou to stop on his tracks. "Who has guts to face me, Seivelun The Great!?"

The spiky-haired boy looked over his shoulder and remained silent. It would be for the best to not get involved with her… yes… that was probably the best course of action to take at this moment so Kamijou's eyes returned to the exit door. Surprisingly, before he could give even take a single step, a voice he knew stopped him cold.

"I will face you!"

The boy slowly moved his head, glancing over his shoulder yet again, only to see the sight of Kongou Mitsuko standing near the empty arcade as she fanned some air into her face. His eyes widened in surprise and dismay instantly.

_(That chick… What the hell is she doing!?)_

Kamijou could just gape in silence at both girls looking at each other with cocky expressions.

"Hoh… This might get interesting…" The blonde's lips curled into a smirk, and so Kongou's.

"I don't know who are you, but I'm always up for a challenge," The forehead girl spoke with confidence, raising her fan towards the other smug girl.

"Very well…" Her smirk was replaced by a predatory smile, which honestly, gave him the creeps. There was something shady about this girl.

Kongou stood in front of the arcade and put her fan inside her school bag; she then inserted a coin in the gaming machine after... examining it? Kamijou could be wrong, but it sure looked like it was her first time seeing an arcade because it took her a couple of minutes to find the place where she should insert the coin. The crowd stared in silence at both girls; the boy knew that nothing good was going come out of this…

Thirty seconds passed and the match began…

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou deadpanned, he kind of expected this result, but still, it was… embarrassing…

Kongou lost, yeah… she lost, as he guessed it would occur but… the thing is… that she lost completely, it was an utter defeat. The forehead-girl didn't manage to land even a single hit on Seivelun's character. The crowd was silent, Kamijou was silent, even the blonde was silent while Kongou looked like she was paralyzed, her eyes fixated on the screen, not blinking once.

"Really? After all those shitty words, was that it?" Seivelun said blankly.

Kongou did not respond, actually, she didn't give any sign of having heard anything; she just stared at the screen, her hands still on the arcade buttons.

Kamijou approached the girl cautiously, this didn't look good. Given the fact that she was a level 4 esper and that he had had witnessed how deadly she could become upon making her irritated, he had to be cautious. There was always the chance that she could react violently, and in this place, a lot of people could get hurt.

"Oi… are you okay?" The boy whispered to her, making his voice as soft as he could manage.

"I couldn't do anything…" The girl muttered to herself, still keeping her gaze on the arcade. "No matter how many times I pressed this buttons, I couldn't do anything against her…"

The boy was started by her gloomy voice, she didn't sound like herself… at all.

"I did see that…" The boy uttered under his breath. "But… eh… don't let it affect you, I mean, that girl is pretty good at this game," Kamijou scratched his head in expectation. "You too saw how that guy lost completely to her, right? You don't have to feel bad."

Kongou turned around quickly, making Kamijou give a step back at her sudden movement. Her cheeks were red, probably from her current embarrassment… Considering all the people around who saw the match, it was not surprising.

"Why I couldn't do anything!? I pressed the buttons, so why didn't my character hit her's!?" The Tokiwadai girl blurted out while stepping closer to the bewildered teen.

"H-hold up!" Kamijou raised his hands defensively on instinct. "It's not my fault that you suck at this game."

"I-I don't suck… it's… it's the buttons that don't work properly…" The girl growled… or pouted? Putting her hands on her chest… Was it him or she was acting a bit cute despite her sudden outburst?

Kamijou massaged his neck, looking at the side. The people around him were staring at both of them, their faces showed a variety of expressions, the most prominent being the ones of amusement.

"I beg to differ, ojou-sama. I am positive about you sucking in this game, sorry," Kamijou tried to make his voice kind to not piss her, though his words weren't the exact meaning of 'being kind' but it was better to be honest with her at this point. "You just pressed the buttons randomly, while she waited and simply attacked you every time your character let the guard down."

"So why don't you do it, then?" Kongou shot back, gazing directly at his eyes. "You talk like you know how to play this game."

Kamijou glanced at the console before responding. "Well, I do know how to play it, but it's not like I'm good at it. Besides, you are the one that challenged her," The boy snapped, crossing his arms with a bothered gesture. "Still, I have to repeat what I said before, you sucked in that match. It just looked like it was your first time playing this game."

Kongou gave no reply or retort, her eyes averting from him… Did her silence mean what he was thinking?

"Really? You decided to challenge her in a game you have never played?" The boy questioned in disbelief, and the only reaction he got from Kongou was her cheeks getting redder.

"W-well, this is your fault! You should have told me how to play it if you knew!"

Kamijou rolled his eyes in exasperation, facepalming after that.

"How on earth would I know that you didn't know!?" Kamijou shouted, putting a dumb face. "And why do I sound like an idiot?"

Kongou crossed her arms, looking quite bothered. Kamijou could only wonder why all ojous were this spoiled. Looking down on people and blaming others for their own mistakes was just too cliché for her kind. Couldn't someone be different? Wait… there was that insane girl… The boy shuddered upon recalling what happened when he met the Number 3 of the seven Level 5 espers of Academy City, the Railgun.

Kamijou shook his head wildly; there was no point in reliving such unpleasant memories. He just hoped he would not have to meet that mad girl again…

"You sound like an idiot because you are one, humph!" Kongou spun around, raising her face as if to demonstrate her indifference to him.

"Hey idiotic couple, could you take your quarrel elsewhere? I'm getting bored," The blond-haired girl sneered, casting them an annoyed gaze.

Kongou glared at Seivelun with ferocity, while the boy sighed. Man… something chaotic was about to start.

"How dare you insult me!? We are not a couple!" Said Kongou as she clenched her fist, her lips snarling in ire.

Kamijou blinked before twitching an eyebrow, "Oi! The insult was idiotic, not couple."

It didn't take much for Kamijou's irritation to evaporate as a funny thought came to his mind. He had to admit Kongou Mitsuko had the ability to make perfectly clear her disgust towards him; it was kind of hilarious…

_(Geez… my sense of humor is twisted… Something is wrong with me.)_

"I will play again, and this time I will make a difference!" Kongou exclaimed, her stance pretty much told him that she was serious… yes, as serious as she was when she almost killed him the first time she met him.

"Pheh! It will be just a waste of time," The blonde commented scornfully as she resumed her position on the arcade, and so did Kongou.

Kamijou rested both hands on his hip and sighed, he really felt like leaving this instant… actually, why he didn't just do it? The only thing left to do was this duel she wanted, something that he did NOT desired doing at this moment… or any other honestly.

"Whatever… I'll just go and wait outside," The boy said as he waved his hand dismissively.

"No!" She shouted at him. "That's just an excuse to leave."

"Tch… fine… But this time I'm gonna help you, I don't really need to see you embarrassing yourself by losing completely again," Kongou blinked, she looked startled. "I'll give you advice."

Kongou stared at him oddly before nodding. The boy crossed his arms as he motioned her to move to the arcade, and he followed suit, standing at her side.

Despite being a problematic ojou like most, Kamijou could see that she wasn't a bad person; though she apparently tended to exaggerate when something bothered her, and it was pretty clear her crushing defeat at the hands of the blond girl in front of them truly hurt her pride, despite it just being a game.

He could be called a hypocrite for thinking this; after all, he made a scene with the guy who previously lost to the blond. But he did it because he despised seeing people looking down on others like that blonde girl did, he had to do something to save his pride. It was a bit ridiculous but most males his age were serious when it came to gaming stuff.

"Are you familiar with the buttons?"

"I think I am…" The girl replied.

"Ok, to block her attacks, just walk backwards by pulling back the directional," Kamijou pointed a finger to the little level on the gaming machine. "This will make your character block any incoming attacks, but, if she attacks at your feet, pull the lever back and down at the same time and you will be able to block low hits."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Kongou growled.

"I wasn't planning to get involve with this," He rolled his eyes and then eyed her. "But I guess it's too late for that. Push enter."

Kongou did what he told her and observed the screen; she was on the character selection menu. The blond had already chosen her character: Asuka.

"Which character should I use?" The black-haired girl asked.

"Pick the character by the name of Hwoarang, he is easy to use," The girl moved the directional until he found the character and chose him. After randomly choosing the stage, the game entered the loading screen.

"Anything else that I should know?" Kongou said, her gaze still focused on the console screen.

"In this game, you have to be aggressive," Kamijou explained. "If you manage to push your opponent onto a wall, pretty much the game is yours. Your combo, and by that I mean continuous strikes on your opponent, will be easier to maintain, leaving the other player unable to retaliate or block, not to mention that you will cause a lot of damage," Kamijou crossed his arms, sporting a serious expression. "Be careful though, you can't let your guard down by just attacking."

Kongou frowned, it seemed she was having a bit of a hard time understanding this, but there was no time to be more detailed, the match was about to start. If she was from Tokiwadai, then she probably would retain the most valuable info.

"But didn't you just tell me to be aggressive?"

"Indeed," Kamijou nodded in agreement. "You must be aggressive, but… you need to time the beginning of your assault," The teen paused, glancing at the girl on the other arcade, she was smiling at him for some reason, it was quite unsettling. "Ehrm… where was I? Oh… if you rush in a fight, you'll just get your butt kicked."

Kongou nodded. Well, at least she was accepting his advice and hearing him… she was not that stuck-up.

"If you want to make a combo, then push this buttons three times and then this one a couple of times," Kamijou signaled the mentioned buttons as he explained. "You must press them quickly but not too quick, ok?"

"Could you continue with your stupid tutorial some other time?" The blond girl commented loudly, causing Kamijou to glare at her, it was not like she cared that he did though.

"Look! The fight is about to start!" Kamijou informed the ojou, so she prepared herself.

"This is going to be easy," The smug girl that looked like a foreigner smirked, causing Kongou to scowl and making Kamijou irritated.

_(I thought this ojou was annoying but that brat is a pain in the ass.)_ The boy truly wanted Kongou to win this fight to just teach that blonde a lesson on modesty, one that the Tokiwadai ojou needed herself.

Seivelun's character, Asuka, dashed forward in the moment the round began.

"She is taking the offensive, walk backwards and block her incoming attack," Kamijou adviced.

Kongou's character, Hwoarang, blocked Asuka's flying kick, leaving an opening.

"Now strike!" Kamijou shouted as Kongou nodded, pushing the attack buttons he told her.

Her attack began with one kick, followed by two more, ending it with two more kicks. After the combo ended, Asuka rolled backwards and resumed her stance.

"I did it! I damaged her!" Kongou exclaimed cheerfully while Kamijou nodded approvingly and the crowd explode in cheers. This girl sure learned quickly the basics of the game. Her reaction also was a bit cute.

"Yes, you performed successfully a combo," The boy commented with a smirk.

"Pheh! Basically, all you did was a 5 hits combo, lame!" Kongou's opponent snorted. "That was nothing," her lips curled into a confident smile.

This time, Asuka neared Hwoarang slowly. Kamijou noticed some drops of sweat in Kongou's ample forehead and cheek. It sure looked like she was focusing all her mind on the match.

"Don't listen to her, you did well," Kamijou grinned reassuringly. "Just wait for her to attack like you did before and then unleash your fury!" Kamijou yelled vigorously, rising a fist upward.

All the cheers stopped, the place became awkwardly silent all of a sudden. Everyone in the store was gazing at him with perplexity; even both girls at the arcades were looking at him with baffled expressions.

"Are you stupid?" The girl at Kamijou's side gibed, looking rather amused.

Kamijou stood there immobile, in the same, and now that he realized, ridiculous stance. Man, he couldn't describe how embarrassed he felt in that moment. Much to the girls' surprise, as well as his, the male students roared in excitement, raising their fists as well.

"Hell yeah!/Kick her ass!/Unleash the fury!" Were some of the shouts of support that came from the male crowd present… Seriously, those guys were awesome.

Kamijou smirked at the crowd and then turned his face to the dumbstruck black-haired girl, cockily winking at the girl. "Well, well… it seems you have your fans…" He chuckled lightly. "Sorry for suddenly shouting, kind of got carried away."

Kongou stared at his face, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow in bewilderment, but finally shook her head and directed her attention back to the screen. Her cheeks were red for some reason, maybe because of the pressure of this situation.

"Can we continue? I was about to kick her ass!" The girl with the dark beret slammed the arcade while she said this.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes in irritation towards the pesky girl, and then moved them to Kongou. He was taken aback upon noticing her facial expression. He couldn't really tell what her features were showing. Was it hate? Sadness? Or Fear? Realization? Why did she sport such a face? Was she having inner thoughts about stuff… maybe?

"H-hey… are you… alright? She is not going to kick your… that... or anything. Just ignore her," Kamijou patted her back softly, his voice kind. "Kongou-san, are you listening?"

He got no response from the girl, her eyes were lost as if she recalled something, or just was thinking deeply. His doubt was: Why now and what exactly?

Some seconds passed when she suddenly blinked at then shot him a warm gaze, looking at him directly in the eyes as she smiled bashfully. Kamijou gulped instantly, his cheeks warming up.

"I am fine, thank you. I think I will handle this by myself now," The girl put delicately a hand on the upper part of the arcade. "I would not feel good if you kept helping me while she is doing this alone."

The boy was struck speechless by her out-of-nowhere change of demeanour. What caused her to act like this?

"S-sure…" Kamijou replied with uncertainty. He stepped back to give her some space and watched in silence the rest of the match, still feeling quite perplexed.

"I expect we won't have any more interruptions in our match," The blonde scoffed. "This is getting way too long and the other losers are waiting."

The girl with light-coloured hair resumed her advance while Kongou simply waited. Kamijou presumed she would try to perform the same manoeuvre.

Hwoarang moved back to block a new attack, but it didn't not come in the way neither the black-haired teens expected, Asuka grabbed Kongou's character and with a swift movement, she threw him to the ground, though she wasn't over yet…

"But how? I was blocking!" Kongou spat, her impotence evident.

_(Oh, damnit… I totally forgot about throws…)_

"What? Didn't you know that you can't block a throw? Such an idiot." The annoying brat laughed mockingly as she continued to attack Hwoarang on the ground.

"How do I perform a throw?" Kongou glared at Kamijou, who in turn gulped.

"You must push those two buttons at the same time, but you have to be close to her character."

Hwoarang rolled back to avoid further damage and sent two high kicks to keep Asuka at bay. The girl was doing fine despite this only being her second time playing this game, she reacted according her current situation, and it was bit of a surprise. Kongou indeed put his advice into her mind… maybe she could win.

Minutes passed as the match continued, Kamijou soon found himself joining the shouts of support to Kongou. Both girls were really focused on this, as if their lives depended on the result.

Inevitably, the blonde-haired girl dominated the fight in the end and won.

"Haha! Another loser! Next!" Seivelun said proudly.

Kamijou sighed, this result wasn't really surprising. Despite playing according to what he told her, only practice would have made her better. The boy truly wished that Kongou would have triumphed, pretty much like the majority of the crowd surrounding them, but heck, there was nothing to do about it.

The boy directed his gaze to the loser of the match, his eyes widened yet again in the moment she came on sight.

The Tokiwadai ojou still had her eyes fixated on the screen, but she was smiling. Smiling? She lost and she was smiling? The proud ojou-sama from the Tokiwadai was smiling despite losing the game? He could not believe it!

"Eh… Kongou-san…?" Kamijou addressed her cautiously. "You okay?"

The girl returned the gaze, her smile still present, "It seems I lost again, huh…?" Her eyes averted back to the console. "I suppose its fine."

Kamijou blinked in mild surprise. Seriously, from where this came from?

"You suppose its fine? But… haven't you lost?"

"Yes… I lost. I know I lost, but it's okay. Should we get going?"

Kamijou remained silent; he didn't know how to react. This was so weird, where did her annoying and prideful personality go? The sound of steps getting closer made the boy turn to his right, it was the blond girl approaching at them.

"Wait! You can't leave yet!" The girl shouted.

"Would you mind telling me why? You already won," Kongou retorted, and Kamijou… he couldn't help feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"I'm not talking to you!" The girl said as she stood in front of the confused boy. "I challenge you! You seem to know this game well."

The boy put a hand on his neck and massaged it. "Me? Ehrm… I don't know it well; I only played it a couple… a couple of times… but still..." The boy made a bored expression as he ended his sentence.

"Don't care, let's just play," A scowl formed on Seivelun's features, a deep one in fact.

"I don't want to play, and even if I wanted too, I don't have time."

The boy turned around and stepped forward, when a hand grabbed his wrist. The boy suspected it was a certain annoying blond, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he confirmed it. The feeling of dread he held was not disappearing, so that could only mean…

"I already told you, let's have a match so I can humiliate you and then, you can leave," The blonde growled as she hardened the grip on his wrist.

"As tempting as it sounds, I'm going to have to decline your invitation, but hey…" The boy smirked, "I appreciate you kind offer," Kamijou's tone was cocky, and his sarcastic words did a real good job emphasizing it, of course he thought that responding on this way wouldn't really make her pissed. Like always, he was wrong.

"Tch! You have to play!"

Kamijou gave her a blank stare, "I certainly don't have to."

The irritated blond gritted her teeth in anger, making Kamijou narrow his eyes. What was the freaking problem with the chicks in this city? All of them were problematic and stubborn.

"I'm telling you to play, damnit!" The girl yelled, pulling him towards her but the boy offered resistance, planting himself firmly on the ground. "You know who I am man? You better do what I say if you value your life."

Kamijou crossed his arms, making the blonde lose her grip. He was clearly disgusted by the girl's attitude.

"I'm honestly not interested in knowing your name, and let me tell you, I do value my life, though I fail to see why I should do it in this moment," The boy cast her a hard glare. "Let me ask you something. If I told you to become my dog, would you do it?" Kamijou shook his head nonchalantly. "I really doubt it, so think of this as the same."

"My name is Frenda Seivelun!" The girl shot back. "And you are a dick!"

"And you are very unpleasant," The boy retorted.

He could easily say that this chick, **Frenda Seivelun,** was the most stuck-up and irritating girl he had met until now… Sure, Yomikawa, Fukiyose and Kongou caused headaches on him, but to this extent? Only Tsukino had managed to really piss him like this brat was doing.

On a side note, as he pretty much expected, her name surely sounded foreign, that together with her looks, she definitely must be from another country… maybe England?

"Chicken! Faggot! I bet you won't play because you are as scared as a little girl! Hmph! Disgusting…"

The teen twitched an eyebrow; he was getting tired of her crappy attitude. Most of the time, the boy tried to ignore this kind of comment but his patience was wearing thin at the moment. Yes, his whole body ached, he was tired, he had no money, he was angry and the worst of this was that he could not get back to his dorm for his well-deserved rest. Instead, he was standing in a game store, having to deal with this annoying brat thanks to a certain ojou-sama.

"Well then… if you want it so much, let's play…" The boy said sternly.

Seivelun smirked as the male spectators roared in excitement.

He knew very well that he shouldn't have let her get her way with her taunts but seriously, she was getting on his nerves and it wouldn't take long before he exploded. The girl took two steps back playfully and walked to her arcade machine, Kamijou did the same.

"Are you serious? Are you really going to do what she is asking?" Kongou spoke, causing him to look over his shoulder. The boy kind of forgot she was here, probably because she remained silent during the whole verbal exchange with Seivelun. "I know I challenged her and lost, but you aren't supposed to do it, too."

"Are you implying that I'm going to lose?"

"Yes," The forehead girl simply replied as she picked up her bag from the ground by the arcade and stood at his side. "We still have something to settle, remember?"

The boy snorted, "Then you know that this will not take long."

"Just hurry up and lose, I can't afford to lose any more time," She sighed, putting a hand on her cheek. "If you didn't know, I have a curfew."

"You would have thought that before challenging her…" Kamijou muttered under his breath as Kongou peered at him curiously.

"What?"

Kamijou rolled his eyes, suppressing a sight of his own, "Everyone has a curfew, not just you," The male teen chuckled inwardly at his own remark.

Every student in the city had a curfew as the boy just mentioned. It was not allowed for any student to wander the street at night, from 7 pm onwards to be exact. Some schools were stricter when it came to this rule but overall, it was like this for every student in AC, though not many people respected this rule. An example of this was the spiky-haired boy himself, who patrolled around AC streets in order to stop any kind attack or abuse directed towards the innocent during the nights.

"I assure you mine is stricter… way stricter…" The girl shuddered for some reason. "My dorm supervisor is a demon…" It was ridiculous to see how the girl shivered after saying this. Just… who was the person that could cause this kind of reaction by just the sole mention of his/her name, though most likely it was a woman because the Tokiwadai Middle School was only for girls.

"So why did you challenge her in the first place if you knew that," Kamijou scowled. "If it wasn't for that, I would not be here."

Kongou pouted, lowering her gaze, "But I still insist, you clearly don't want to play, so don't do it."

Kamijou put a hand on his forehead and rubbed it exasperatedly, letting a sigh escape from his lips. Was this girl being a hypocrite or what?

"I can't believe I'm hearing that from you, 'Miss-I-want-a-Duel-no-Matter-What," He returned his attention to the arcade while putting the bag with the babydoll and his school bag on the ground right at his side. "Really, you should define your personality."

The only response he got from the Tokiwadai ojou was a cute sound which indicated him that she was pouting again. Soon, a voice would interject Kamijou's next words.

"Hey! I'm waiting, you know? Stop shitting around!" Seivelun shouted.

"Fine, fine…" Kamijou leaned to his arcade, putting his hands over the buttons and the little lever. "Let's get this over with."

Finally, after both players chose their characters and the stage, the match began.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"What…? Cheater! You are a cheater!"

That was the yell that a spiky haired boy received at the end of the match. The crowd was going wild, well… at least the male crowd, as all of them chanted together: "Spiky-hair! Spiky-hair!"

"…That… that was incredible. You beat her and you still have more than half of your life," Kongou Mitsuko, one of the most promising espers in AC commented in disbelief as she looked at him with wide eyes.

The foreign girl by the name of Frenda Seivelun glared at the winner of the game with ferocity, it was like the smug girl from just a moment ago transformed into a wild animal, an intimidating wild animal… well, at least that was the vibe she was exuding in that instant.

Kamijou Touma, the boy who received both reclaims and praise from the girls closest to him, shook his head conceitedly. Of course, he was feigning this attitude to just annoy the blonde. Kamijou flashed a sly smile as he put both hands on his pants pockets.

"What do you want me to say?" The male teen raised his head, looking at her loftily. "I just won, deal with it."

"Deal with it? Kgh… You must have done something!" Seivelun slammed her hands on the arcade machine in fury, her red face showed how pissed she was.

Kamijou smirked, he knew this was the time to teach her a lesson; he would give her a taste of her own medicine.

"Well, excuuuuuse me princess. The only thing I remember doing in this match was besting you in almost all aspects of the game," Kamijou answered flatly.

"Shut the fuck up!" Seivelun's eyebrow twitched at his smug remark, causing his smile to get wider. "Let's just play again! I'm definitely sure I'll win this time!"

Kamijoiu simply snorted. "Fine…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Argh! You did something again, didn't you?"

The second match ended with Kamijou having more than the 75% of his life. Kamijou yawned at her complain as he shrugged his shoulders while the males around him roared in excitement.

"I played fair and square," He replied with a bored tone, further annoying the blonde. "What would games be like if people only cheated to win?" He focused his gaze on the arcade and nodded to himself. "There simply would be no challenge, making them boring."

Seivelun's scowl deepened much to Kamijou's satisfaction. The boy didn't like bragging but he had to admit that he lied to Kongou when he said that he didn't know well the game, actually, he was pretty damn good and the blonde ojou he used was unbeatable.

"Again!" Seivelun screamed and Kamijou just rolled his eyes while inwardly sighing.

_(I think I made a terrible mistake…)_

**PART 8**

"Well, you finally managed to defeat me, so I'll get going."

"No!" Seivelun shouted furiously.

The match that just ended was the ninth game Kamijou played, much to his and Kongou's dismay. Seivelun's characters kept losing under Lili's might, to the point that he even scored a perfect on her, with not a single hit landing on his character.

It was pretty late now, and both black-haired teens were desperate to leave. Kamijou let Seivelun win in the last match to placate her and get the hell out of there.

"Do you think I'm a fucking idiot!? You obviously held back!" Seivelun barked angrily. "I will not accept this empty victory, asshole!"

"What's your problem, seriously!?" This is just a game!" Kamijou shot back.

He wouldn't have won the first match if he would have known that she would react like this. At the time, teaching her a lesson on modesty seemed like a really good idea. Man, when it came to women, he was always wrong.

"Let's play again!" Seivelun commanded with a fiery voice.

Kamijou breathed deeply and then exhaled… he had enough of this crap.

"You know what? No!" Kamijou retorted bitterly. "I'm tired, I'm hungry. Hell! My body hurts and I still have a duel and a long study session ahead of me. My definite answer is no," He picked up Yomikawa's bag and his, still wearing the same hard expression. "This thing, whatever it is, ends here!"

Seivelun glared at him and he answered in the same way. Kamijou noticed something weird in her eyes, as if they gave him a bad feeling or something. He could not tell why, but he felt there was something dangerous about this girl. Actually, he sensed the same thing when he confronted the thugs, more exactly, the ones that attacked him savagely. Those ruthless and cold eyes…

"I don't give a shit!" Seivelun argued, stepping up to him. "You are going to play until I'm satisfied, I decided that so shut your ass and get back to the arcade."

Kamijou narrowed his gaze as he resisted the urge to slap this annoying brat. The boy closed his eyes for a couple of seconds as he cleared his mind, getting angry would not get him anywhere.

The teen opened his eyes and gave her a sharp glare that made Seivelun yelp slightly before Kamijou turned around, grabbing Kongou's hand in the process and walked out of the game store with her.

"Wh-where are we going?" A surprised Kongou asked to the boy that was leading her away from the mad girl.

The boy continued to move forward, but turned his head slightly at her, grimacing. "As far away from her as we can manage," Was the reply he gave her as both walked hurriedly through the underground streets of the mall.

It did not take long as the boy expected to hear more shouts from Seivelun, coming behind them. Her vocabulary had gotten a bit more offensive since they left the store.

"I did NOT give you permission to leave, fucking bastard!" The girl was trembling with anger, fists clenched and a furious glare.

The boy stopped and stared at Kongou. The girl looked uncertain before she finally understood and nodded in agreement. No words were needed to tell her what they had to do… both teens sprinted forward.

With hands still held together, they run from street to street, Kamijou noticed that Seivelun was chasing after them, which was totally expected, but not less daunting.

"Seriously, what's her freaking problem?" The boy said out loud as they turned right on a corner.

"…Ho-how I am… supposed to… know…?" The forehead girl said between gasps, making Kamijou glance over his shoulder.

It has been a couple of minutes since they made their escape from the Game Station but Kongou already looked exhausted, which was not surprising in the slightest, given the fact that she was an ojou. If the boy was alone, he could easily keep running until the mad girl gave up, despite being tired from the training from the morning, but with the ojou sticking with him, things were pretty different. He didn't find it acceptable to leave Kongou with a possibly insane girl if he were to run by himself… yeah… Seivelun was surely acting like one scary girl.

The Imagine Breaker came to a halt as Kongou leaned downward, putting the hand that held her schoolbag over her knees, as she caught her breath. Kamijou scanned the area around him quickly; his eyes were directed to a ridiculously colored library with images of princesses and **DRAGONS.** '**Wonderland**' was the name of it, so he guessed this place only rented and sold books for children. It should be mentioned that the boy found it strange to see this kind of store here in AC.

"C'mon!" The boy dragged Kongou along with him, causing her to yelp slightly. "Let's hide here."

The teens entered the library and made their way to the most secluded part of it. This place was surprisingly big… for a library dedicated to young kids… Just… who owned this place?

Kamijou leaned to some bookshelves and observed cautiously his surroundings; he hoped that the mad girl hasn't seen them enter this place. Much to his consternation however, Seivelun followed them inside. The boy quickly cloaked himself behind the bookshelf upon seeing her, with Kongou at his side.

"Why are we running from her?" The ojou whispered. "I will just put her in her place."

The boy unconsciously tightened his grip on Kongou's hand, making her flinch. He widened his eyes upon realization, letting go of her hand before scratching his cheek nervously.

"S-sorry," He said softly. "Anyway, I don't think that's a good idea… There is something about her that bothers me… she gives me a bad vibe."

"Are you telling me that you are scared?" She muttered while furrowing an eyebrow.

"It's not that…" Kamijou sighed. "Listen. It's very late, you should return to your dorm."

"But what about our d-"

"We can't have it today," He cut her off. "You said your dorm supervisor is strict and scary, so I think should avoid making her pissed," The boy looked at her seriously. "We'll have our duel, I promise you that, but I will have to be for another day."

The Tokiwadai ojou looked disappointed, her eyes falling to the ground.

"You… are correct…" The girl said weakly.

"Let's exchange numbers," Kamijou smiled reassuringly as he nodded. "That way, we can arrange to meet at some place and finally do it."

Kongou looked uncertain, as if she was pondering about his idea. Kamijou glanced around the place again with caution and saw Seivelun move from one place to other… she really wasn't planning to let them go so easily.

"Fine…" Kongou grumbled, attracting Kamijou's attention back to her.

"Good to hear it."

Although Kongou looked really reluctant to give her phone number, she did so in the end. Kamijou didn't know if he had made the right decision by doing this, but this was the only way she would let him go without her duel. He already imagined the unfortunate events this could bring… geez…

"I will let her see me and make her follow me out of this place," Kamijou paused as he gave another glance around. "That's when you can leave, ok?"

The ojou nodded as Kamijou stepped out from his hiding place.

"B-be sure to answer my call," Said the black-haired girl, looking oddly expectant. Kamijou did not move, it looked like she was trying to say something else. "...This was my first time playing an arcade, so I will admit that... I... had fun today... T-th-thank you..."

Kamijou blinked twice in surprise before smiling warmly; there was more than meets the eye about Kongou Mitsuko. Despite her ojouish personality, today she has showed him there was a simple and kind girl hidden beneath her usual superficial facade. The boy just nodded in response and sprinted to the entrance.

"You, fucking pest!" A shout came from behind that clearly let him know that Seivelun saw him. "Don't think you're going to get away!"

The boy ignored her and stormed through the double doors, running fast but not too much, he still needed to get the blonde away from this place, so if he made her chase after him for at least 10 minutes, that would be enough, right?

"I'm gonna be really late for home today…" The boy said to himself as he sprinted through the underground streets, his destination, as far as he could get Seivelun from the library. He would have to endure her presence for at least 10 more minutes for the ojou's sake.

**PART 8**

From one dark alley to the next, a certain spiky-haired teen ran, despite how tired he was at this point, he ran. Seivelun was simply nuts, she never stopped chasing him, and the worst is that she managed to tail him, even when he exited the Underground mall. Somewhow, Seivelun had managed to not lose him from her sight. If he wasn't beat, he could have eluded her with ease but he was exhausted, seriously exhausted by now.

He sensed something wrong with her, her eyes pretty much told him that. His gut was now clearly telling him that there was something fishy about the foreign girl, so to escape from her and avoid any kind of confrontation seemed like the best course of action to take. The duel with Kongou would have to wait as he told her, though honestly, it was actually a relief. If he had fought her in his current state, he would have got his ass kicked in a very ridiculous way.

His priority in this very moment was losing the mad girl, then getting to his home without being followed.

After an unknown amount of time, Kamijou turned right on an intersection of four alleys and stopped to catch his breath, of course, he glanced around to make sure he lost her.

"Ufff…" Kamijou put one hand to support himself on the cold wall of concrete, slightly gasping. "Man… what the hell is her problem anyway?" Some minutes passed as the boy regained a bit of energy. "I should just go home before something else happens… my misfortune detector is going crazy…"

The teen took the alley to the left upon reaching another intersection. He didn't know where he was because he ran without caring to look at his surroundings when he was chased by Seivelun. He had to find the exit of these alleys to be able determine his current location.

Kamijou walked for some minutes to find a new crossing of alleys… (_Ok, where is the exit to the streets?)_ Kamijou scratched his head in distress as he arrived at yet another intersection, so this time, he took the path to the right, only to reach a new crossing of alleys.

"Hmm… Where the hell I am? What's with all these alleys?" Kamijou said out loud to himself as he strolled through more intersections, causing him to grab his head in irritation. "This is a freaking labyrinth!"

The boy was lost; how much did he run? He even wasn't sure of that. Damn, it became a total mistake to have ventured into an unfamiliar area without being cautious. Kamijou could say that his current situation looked grim, and of course, it could always get worse, considering how unfortunate the boy was.

And his misfortune indeed became worse. A sound, a shout to be exact that came from the alley at his left showed him that he was still inside the frying pan.

"There you are, slippery bastard!"

Kamjou froze, cold sweat trailing from his forehead. The same annoying voice came from no other than the main reason for his current headache, Frenda Seivelun.

"Oh, c'mon! It's just a damn game!" The unnerved boy shouted at the blonde who was panting.

"It's not just a fucking game, you shit bag!" Seivelun yelled in response as she neared his position. "I will not forgive you for making fun of me and running off like that."

"Oi! I don't remember making fun of you at any time!" Kamijou spat. "And the reason I ran off in the first place was because you insisted on playing more matches. Haven't you noticed it's pretty late?"

"I don't give a shit! You're just a coward!"

The boy narrowed his eyes, slightly changing his stance to an intimidating one, fiercely glaring at her.

"W-what…?" Seivelun visibly stuttered at Kamijou's sudden change of posture.

Kamijou continued his penetrating gaze, not saying a single word. He had decided, in this very moment, he would do what he should have done a couple of minutes before… yes… this should work.

"You leave me no choice then…" The boy said darkly, making Seivelun gulp, fear spreading through her features. "…Behind you! My secret weapon!"

The girl turned around quickly after hearing him and Kamijou took action.

In the exact moment Seivelun moved her attention off from him, Kamijou dashed to the alley at his left… yep, no secret weapon whatsoever. The boy decided to just keep running away until she gave up, and by the way she looked, it would not take much. He just needed to hang in there a little bit more.

"You son of a bitch!" Was the inevitable roar sent at him after some seconds of having made his smart escape.

And like this, the chase began yet again, much to Kamijou's dismay and probably, Seivelun's as well. Nearly ten minutes give or take passed as pursuer and pursued ran from one alley to another. Seriously, this was an alley maze.

That apart, it was quite shocking to see how the insane girl managed to keep up with him. The boy couldn't be sure if she was fast or he was moving slow due to his fatigue.

"Stop already! I'm going to kill you!"

"Like hell I would!" Kamijou growled. "You are only giving me a reason for not doing it, idiot!"

"What did you say!?"

The boy closed his eyes in irritation and sprinted forward. "Just… LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! FUKOU DA!"

More insults came to Kamijou's ears. Man, that girl really possessed a foul mouth… where did she learn such a language? Although, he could admit that knowing the meaning of her insults made him a bit guilty, too. Really… all the time he spent dealing with thugs or gangsters taught him the crude way of talking… and insulting, though he never had the chance or will to actually use it… he just hoped there never would be a reason that could make him use that way of talking on someone.

In any case, Kamijou chose to ignore her shouts for the safety of his mental self-esteem.

Soon, the boy would reach a place he would never have imagined to find after coming out of the alley maze. Kamijou's eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

"What on earth…?" The boy commented weakly. "What is this doing here?"

A parking lot and an enormous building stood before him, and it pretty much looked abandoned. Kamijou tried to figure why an alley would lead to a parking lot that only had one exit, which was, that damn alley he just used to get here.

Kamijou quickly entered the empty parking lot and scanned his surroundings. Yes, there was no exit as he first pretty much saw, no place for a car to use to get in or out of here, it was simply impossible for a vehicle to use the alley. This parking lot was just surrounded by tall walls and the front of an even more taller building, making this place totally isolated.

"Where to go now? Where to go now?" Kamijou asked desperately to no one as he walked around the area, his eyes then were directed at the entrance of the abandoned structure. "I guess I'll have to hide in there."

The boy dashed to the entrance and grabbed the doorknobs of the white double door and… it didn't budge. Kamijou used force but it did not open, not even the kick he gave it did anything to move it.

"Shit! Can't I be more unfortunate?" The boy groaned in exasperation. "I have to return."

The boy walked back but came to a halt when he reached the middle of the non-functional parking lot. Frenda Seivelun was standing at 6 meters away from him, blocking the only exit he could use.

"Now…you…won't be able… to…escape…" The girl said with a scary expression while panting.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes; there was no place to go to, leaving him with only one course of action to take: To confront her. The girl looked crazy, she exaggerated when she lost to him in those matches, and she was excessively good when it came to insult him but… she still was just a brat and it was not like she would kill him, despite what she screamed in her threats. The thing is that he would have preferred to avoid any more interactions with her; and hence, that's why he ran.

It should be also mentioned that today's beating in his training and all the time he spent running was finally taking its toll. He no longer felt like running anymore, even if he had the chance to.

"What do you want from me?"

"Isn't that…obvious?" Seivelun scowled, still panting. "Your death!"

"I'm sorry but I'm not planning to give you that!" Kamijou replied blankly as he rolled his eyes. "If you so much want a rematch, then I suppose we could hav-"

"I don't fucking care about the game anymore," The blonde cut him off, her statement causing him to raise an eyebrow in mild surprise. "You'll regret making fun of me," She smiled wickedly.

Kamijou tensed in anticipation as the mad girl took something out of her skirt. For what he could make out from this distance, it was a grey medium-sized object. It resembled a bowling pin, though its color was grey.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Song 05

* * *

One question popped up in Kamijou's head upon witnessing that. From where the… heck she took that out from? Kamijou shook his head wildly upon coming to a theory, a perverted theory in fact. The freaked out teen tried to focus again on the girl.

_(Don't think, Kamijou-san. Just don't!)_

"Eat this!" Seivelun suddenly shouted as she threw the grey object to the air and forward to him.

To Kamijou's horror, fire erupted from the rear part of it, causing the object to advance at high speed into his direction.

"W-wait!" The shocked boy gave one step back in fear, acknowledging what it was. "Is that a missile!?"

Kamijou glanced at Seivelun, who sported a sly smile, his eyes then returning at the flying object coming at him. The missile quickly shortened the gap between him and Seivelun, so before it crashed on his face, Kamijou rapidly ducked underneath it. The explosive object impacted on the entrance of the building behind him, creating a big explosion, though gratefully, it didn't reach him.

Kamijou looked in terror at the destruction it caused.

"Hmm… interesting… This is the first time I see someone avoiding a missile like that," She tilted her head playfully, as if she was a cute girl. "Still, you won't be so lucky next time."

"Next time?" Kamijou said incredulously. "Are you freaking kidding me? You just used a missile on me!" The boy stood on his feet. "Why are you even carrying such a thing in the first place!? Do you frag everyone who beats you in a game!?"

Seivelun snorted, putting a hand on her waist.

"Why are you getting angry about if this is basically your fault?" Seivelun yawned, before grinning. "And it's not your fucking business if I carry a missile, a bomb or a tank!"

The perplexed spiky-haired teen embraced himself for a new attack. Kamijou had no idea if she carried more of those missiles, though he couldn't imagine where she possibly could store more, this just didn't make any sense. Nevertheless, he couldn't let his guard down.

"Just die already!"

While he expected it, it was shocking nevertheless to see it with one's eyes. Seivelun took from under her skirt two missiles this time, making him wonder if some technology that could recreate the same effect as the pocket dimension was invented.

"Oh, man… You gotta be kidding!" Kamijou quickly moved forward, he had to stop her.

Upon seeing Kamijou's sudden movement, Seivelun threw both missiles at him in retaliation. The holder of the IB stopped and threw himself to the left, successfully getting out of harm's way. He quickly stood to his feet and made his way towards the mad bomber.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 04 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"Eh? Ehhhhh?" Seivelun sported a surprised expression as she desperately took out three more missiles. "How!?"

As the noise of two explosions was heard behind him, Kamijou narrowed the distance between the two as he sprinted forward. Three more missiles headed his way, so he duck under the first two and then rolled to the right to avoid the other and kept on running towards her.

To his surprise, one of the missiles crashed on the ground instead of making its way to the abandoned and soon-to-be destroyed structure. The pressure created by the close blast pushed the unsuspecting boy forward and onto the surprised girl. He tried to maintain his balance, but his weakened body made it impossible.

Kamijou fell over the girl as smoke spread in all directions.

After some seconds, the teen grunted and coughed as he slowly opened his eyes. His body didn't hurt much by the hit, but the smoke was thick around him, making his vision quite useless, not to mention that his lungs were suffering by the smoke they absorbed.

"Damnit!" The teen cursed after coughing twice and covered his mouth with a hand, while the other touched something soft… wait…

Kamijou waited as the smoke finally dispersed. His eyes went wide instantly when they fell on an unconscious blonde. An embarrassed expression covered his face upon noticing the current location of his hand. It was grabbing Seivelun's chest.

The perturbed teen instantly backed off as he stood up, his cheeks becoming red.

After calming himself, the boy knelt and examined her to make sure she was okay. For what he could tell, the girl probably received a hit on her head when he landed on her so he moved her head slightly. There were no wounds, no blood or anything serious, thankfully.

Seivelun's pupils moved as a soft groan escaped her lips.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Kamijou asked worriedly.

Ten seconds or more passed as he waited for a response, but the only thing he got was her eyes opening slowly.

"Ngh…" She grunted in pain. "What the fuc-" She stopped, her eyes broadening when they met his. "Y-y-you!" The girl stammered furiously. "Where the fuck are you touching!"

Seivelun slapped him and pushed him with both hands, making the boy land on the ground as she stood up. The male teen rubbed his sore cheek, sporting an irritated scowl.

"Well, you sure look just fine!" He snapped.

Seivelun's furious face changed abruptly, she looked oddly scared so he followed her gaze. It was directed at Kamijou's left hand that was on the concrete surface, and there was also a circular object on his index.

Kamijou raised said hand to look at the object more closely. The sound of a *tick* together with a "Don't!" coming from Seivelun alarmed him.

"You stupid idiot! You just released the safety lever of the grenade!" Kamijou froze instantly. "Put back the safe before it's too late!"

"But why is a grenade on the ground? Is it yours?" The boy said as he picked up the explosive device.

"Put the damn thing on the freaking hole!" Seivelun shouted in desperation.

"K-k-k-I don't see it!" Kamijou was getting more and more agitated by each passing millisecond, and her continuous screams were not helping, in fact, they only make this more difficult. "Damn it!"

Kamijou stood up and threw the grenade as far as his current level of energy allowed him to, and hoped that the explosion would not be as big as the ones caused by the missiles.

"Run!" Kamijou shouted as he hurriedly spun around. Seivelun blinked before raising both hands as if to stop him. "What?"

"W-wait! Don't step on that!"

However, it was too late; his foot was already on top of whatever was on the ground and it was sinking on the object. Kamijou couldn't help but have a feeling of dread spreading over his spine, whatever was about to happen, it won't be good.

"Don't move!" Frenda commanded, though her voice was shaky. "You are stepping on the detonator of the plastic bombs I put all over this place!" The girl elaborated as a drop of sweat trailed down from her forehead. "If you move your feet from it, you are going to activate all the bombs and our only exit of this stupid place will be gone!"

"But I have to move! The grenade is about to explode!"

In this very moment, a lot of things came to Kamijou's mind. When he woke up today, he never would have imagined that he would end in a situation as dire as the one he was in now.

Yes, Kamijou found himself in a deadly situation with two choices that were equally dangerous. If he didn't move, there was the chance that the grenade would kill him, but if he moved, then all the bombs the girl mentioned would be triggered and both of them would most likely die. The girl could be lying, but he indeed felt an object beneath his feet... Why on earth would this psycho put bombs around the area anyway?

Kamijou didn't waste any more time and made up his mind. The call was obvious; he would not risk the life of this girl, even if she was the cause of his current ordeal, there was just no way he would choose his life over hers.

"Then run, you idiot!" Kamijou yelled and Seivelun blinked, giving him an odd stare. "What are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here!"

Seivelun nodded nervously and spun around… in that moment, the grenade exploded.

Kamijou planned to wait until she was far away to move, of course, if the grenade haven't killed him but, he stupidly ignored the fact that if he was killed by the grenade, that would mean that the detonator would still be activated. Thankfully, the explosion didn't reach him but the pressure created by it pushed him forward, just like with the other explosion just a few minutes ago.

Yes, as the girl said, in the second his foot was forcefully removed from the object beneath it, several explosions occurred among the taller parts of the walls by the alley from which they came.

Needless to say, this was terribly bad.

Huge pieces of rubble and debris were sent at high speed in every direction, crashing with the undamaged walls as others fell to the ground. At this rate, the only exit from this isolated place would be buried by the debris; without mentioning that they both could be hit the falling pieces of concrete should they try to go through it.

"Didn't you say-?"

"Run!" Kamijou shouted as he regained his balance.

To his desperation, the blonde remained immobile despite the current situation. Kamijou gritted his teeth… he had no choice then.

"W-W-what do you think you are d-doing!?" The girl screamed in surprise when Kamijou swiftly lifted her bridal style. "Let go, you fucking perv!"

As much as Seivelun pushed his face with both hands and struggled to break free, Kamijou was resolute to not drop her, though in his battered condition, he had to say it resulted a titanic feat to achieve.

"Shut the fuck up so I can focus, damnit! We need to get out of here before the walls collapse!"

After shouting fiercely, Seivelun's attempts of getting free ceased, so he glanced at her face. Her cheeks were a bit red, she looked like she was controlling her anger as her eyes closed tightly, and to his puzzlement, the girl extended her arms around his neck, her hands gripped at his shoulder. Kamijou took this as the cue to act; this mad blond was unexpectedly trusting her life to him… he could not fail.

_(At least she won't be a problem now…)_

Despite being drained and with an extra load on him, he managed to retain his balance as he sprinted to the alley with the girl in arms. Seivelun was light, so it didn't take much to carry her.

Clouds of smoke and dust covered the short sight of the sky these walls managed to let him see. Kamijou moved even faster, avoiding the falling debris coming from above but this turned out to be almost impossible. There was not much space where he could manoeuvre himself, not to mention that there was rubble already covering part of the way.

Still, Kamijou Touma was determined to live and see another day.

"Don't open your eyes 'cause something nasty is coming!" The boy shouted as he entered a wall of dust created by the continuous smashing of debris with the ground.

The boy dashed forward, closing his eyes from the dust as he just hoped for the best. There was the chance that he could trip on something, that he could get crushed by rubble, that he could collide with anything in his way but there was no option, he could only move forward.

One last explosion occurred in the tallest part of the wall above them, the shockwave created by it dispersed all the dust surrounding the boy. Kamijou stopped and opened his eyes, noticing that he could see his surroundings without any problem… though he wished he couldn't. To his horror, death took the form of an enormous piece of concrete falling right at him, its sides totally wrecking the alley walls.

"We-we are going to die!" Seivelun shouted, her expression as horrified as his.

Wasting no time, Kamijou spun around, running with all his might to get away from the collision zone and finally… he threw himself as far as he could with the girl still in arms.

Everything became black.

**PART 9**

*Cough! Cough!*

A boy lying on the ground attempted to move his body, but it wasn't responding. Intense pain traveled through his muscles as he still struggled to make them work, making him stop eventually. Damn, he was a total wreck now.

The wounded teen called Kamijou Touma opened his eyes slowly.

He had a clear view of the ground covered in debris; there was no dust in the air. Kamijou tried once more to move and he succeeded by first turning his body to see the sky, his back resting on the solid surface. As he breathed deeply, the boy supported his hands on the ground to help him take a sitting position.

"I… seriously could use a rest…" The boy commented blankly as he observed the area around him.

The alley that led to the isolated parking lot was not functional anymore; the walls had collapsed making it unusable. All the standing walls within his sight had cracks all over them, and the most important thing, while there was a huge rock on the middle of the alley, there was enough space for him to pass it.

The weakened boy grunted in pain as he stood on his feet and rested a hand on the huge rock to keep himself standing. His eyes were directed upward, smoke spread across the sky while the sound of sirens echoed in the distance, meaning that Anti-Skill would be here soon.

"I need to leave this pla-" Kamijou's train of thought was interrupted when he recalled… "Where is that chick?" His eyes darted from left to right as he looked around hurriedly but it was to no avail, she was nowhere to be seen… Just as he feared the worst…

"Bwhah! Cough! Cough!" Kamijou turned to face at the source of the voice.

The unfortunate teen smiled brightly upon seeing the girl safe, he was truly relieved. Her clothes were torn apart and she was covered in dust, just like him with her beret nowhere in sight.

The blonde coughed again as he directed her gaze towards the boy. "Well, it's going to take more than some explosions to take me down," She began to laugh hysterically. "In the end, this resulted to be a quite interesting event... so... where were we?" Seivelun smiled darkly, showing her canines.

"You can't be possibly serious!?" The boy stepped back as cold sweat traversed his face. "I just saved your ass!"

"Tch! No one saved me today because basically... dead people can't save anyone…" Her smiled twisted as she put both hands on her hip. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Kamijou narrowed his eyes and embraced himself for a new assault.

"Get ready to d-Ugh!" Her treat was interrupted when a medium sized rock hit her head, knocking her out cold instantly upon impact.

The bewildered boy stood there speechless and immobile, not even blinking as his brain proceeded the dumb event that just occurred in front of him. Kamijou didn't expect this outcome.

"H-hey…" The boy quickly made his way to the unconscious girl, kneeling beside her in order to check her. "Are you alright?"

No response came. Yep… the mad girl was indeed unconscious. Blood trailed from the wound on her head across her face, alerting him.

"Oh geez… Now I need to take you to the hospital," The teen murmured, scratching his head.

Kamijou lifted Seivelun gently and faced the only way he could go… man, this place was surely a mess.

"Where the heck I am anyway?" The boy gave one step in the alley. "I guess there's only one way to find out…"

Kamijou continued down the only functional road and hoped it would take him out of the alley maze. The sirens could be heard became louder so he guessed that Anti-Skill would not take long before arriving here, he needed to speed up. There was no way he would let them find him here; he could already imagine the scolding or worst ass kicking Yomikawa would give him if she found out about this. Besides, the girl in his arms required urgent medical attention.

"And I thought earlier that this day wasn't going to be that bad… How naïve of me… Fukou da…"

**PART 10**

Kamijou managed to get out of the alley maze, avoiding Anti-Skill squads as he moved hurriedly to find a hospital. As he rushed through the streets, he heard gasps and murmurs coming from everyone that saw him carrying the unconscious girl with him just ignoring them. Fortunately, a woman with long wavy brown hair that looked like a scientist stood before him and offered her help, which was taking him to the hospital with her vehicle.

The boy gratefully accepted her aid. Oddly, at some point of their travel to the hospital on her car, the woman started removing her clothes when she waited for the city lights to change, saying that it was too hot inside the car. Man, he sure didn't feel the heat but after seeing her bra, his temperature raised exponentially. With eyes closed, the embarrassed teen convinced her to put back her clothes with a speech that lasted eight minutes.

After finally arriving at the hospital, the woman just told him to be careful and simply left. He had to say that it was a bit strange that she didn't ask him anything related to the girl he carried.

The teen quickly took Seivelun to the nurses and asked a certain frog-faced doctor to treat her. Twenty minutes more or less passed as he waited outside the room where Seivelun was receiving treatment and then, the door of the room opened. From it, the gero Doc appeared so Kamijou rose from the seat and walked to him.

"Will she be alright?" Kamijou asked worriedly.

The doctor just gave him a serious look.

"Who do you think I am?" He replied with a confident tone.

The boy smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. This doc was respected in this hospital and it was no wonder if you took in consideration how many lives he had saved. No heaven would be seen yet by any of his patients, that was for sure, hence the name everyone here used to call him, **Heaven ****Canceller**.

"The girl has a hematoma in her head due the hit she received; also, her whole body is bruised and I found powder on her clothes," The doc gave him a stern look. "I won't ask why or why she ended in this condition, the only thing I'll tell you is that… you don't have to worry, she'll be fine," He reassured.

"Good to hear, doc. I will leave her in your hands then," The boy waved his farewell as he made his way to the door.

As he left the room, Kamijou's mind wondered who was Frenda Seivelun? A foreigner, that's for sure. But why would a girl that looked like 14 give or take carry such kind of explosive materials? Grenades, missiles, plastic bombs with detonators included? Who could provide her such weaponry? Why would someone provide her that stuff in the first place? Also, the doubt about where she stored those missiles kept bugging him. She did not even hesitated on using those explosive devices against he, and despite how much he didn't want to accept it, her intention was to truly kill him. Who was this girl, really?

The term 'crazy' was surely becoming quite common among the chicks he had met since he came to Academy City. His misfortune was of course the guilty of making him meet such kind of females.

Kamijou decided to leave the subject about Seivelun's identity alone for now. He was still deciding if he should come to see her at the hospital when she wakes up... Though, upon thinking this more carefully, Kamijou finally came to the conclusion that this blonde would cause some kind of mess if she were to see him again, and honestly, he got enough with dealing with her fowl personality.

The voice of the Gero Doc was heard coming from behind, causing the boy to stop.

"Hey, shouldn't you receive treatment as well?" The soon-to-be-bald doctor shouted as Kamijou looked at him over his shoulder. "You don't look any better either."

"I'll be fine doc. Just need some rest and I'll be as good as new," Said Kamijou, letting out a chuckle.

He observed him intensely for a couple of seconds before sighing. "Suit yourself boy. You know you can come at any time."

Kamijou nodded and proceeded to walk to the elevator. He pressed the button to call it and waited for a minute before the double doors finally opened.

Four eyes blinked in realization as they looked into each other. His misfortune detector rang loudly on his head when he recognized who was standing three steps away from him.

"You!" Both Kamijou and the person said in unison.

The boy already resigned on having an awful day when Kongou Mitsuko appeared but he never thought it would get that bad. The day became horrible when Seivelun started acting like a psycho when she lost in that fighting game. The chase that followed it, getting lost in the alley maze and those freaking bombs Seivelun used against him…

Without a doubt, this day entered the top ten list of the worst day he ever had and that was no easy feat. And now it was about to get worse after seeing who was glaring at him at him with killing intent, electric sparks flowing through her hair.

The person before him was a girl he met in weird circumstances a month ago. She also belonged to the Tokiwadai Middle school, which he considered the source of all his problems during the last month.

Her name… **Misaka Mikoto,** the **Ace of Tokiwadai**, better known as the **Railgun**, the strongest **Electromaster**. She was one of the seven level 5 in Academy City, the third strongest as she mentioned in their first encounter. Yes, a pissed level 5 esper was standing of front of him, wanting to kill him at this very moment.

All Kamijou Touma knew was that things were about to get a lot worse before getting any better.

* * *

**Too bad for Touma that Wannai Kinuho and Awatsuki Maaya were busy with school club stuff. If they weren't, Kongou Mitsuko wouldn't have decided to explore the city by herself, and by thus, meeting the poor unfortunate Touma along the way.**

**When Touma avoided the first three missiles, Frenda's mind was thinking: "Who the fuck is this guy? He is not just some random dude..." Of course, this two questions are evidence enough to show that Touma had picked up her interest, though she would never admit it. **

****By the way, "Gero" means "Frog" in japanese.****

****See you all soon!****


	6. MONSTER Hunt

**Happy**** New Year!**

**Just when I thought that I could not write a longer chapter, I come up with this monster-sized update. Geez…**

**Although, that's good for you, isn't it?**

**This is a mini arc, which is pretty informative actually. It will let us know a bit more about Touma and the world around him as well as some other… stuff.**

**Also, from now on, the latest update will be on top of the list for the readers to use the links easily.**

**I have to admit it, though I already had in mind the content of this chapter, NT 11 heavily influenced how this chapter was written. And now that I mention it and after having read NT 11, I can say without fear that these events did occur, though with some minor changes according to what I had planned for this story.**

**My next recommendation is "Son of Sparda DxD", written by "DarkAkatsuki1". A Devil May Cry and Highschool DxD crossover where the epic devil hunter Dante does what he does best: Be awesomely badass as he deals with sexy demons in the hilarious way he always does. This is a remarkable story.**

**Beware, this chapter is… a bit strong… like the serious arcs of Index in which Accelerator appears… though he will not participate in this chapter, you get my message right? Reader discretion is advised.**

**Thanks to "Diller" and "Tomonee" for beta-reading. Also, the cover has been updated.**

**Tomonee: Hello everyone, I'm one of two Betas along with Diller who work on the story and figured that I might as well introduce myself. I've been working with Itherael since chapter 4.**

**I joined as a Beta when he originally contacted me about giving me a reward for being his 201st review, and since I had experience as a Beta and had interest in the story, I offered my services while discussing my reward with him. Thankfully, he accepted and the rest is history.**

**Anyways that's enough about me for now. I know you guys aren't here to read about myself so onto the story!**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 05: Reminiscence / High Voltage — Monster_Hunt**

"I finally found you, stalker! I can't believe you managed to elude me all this time and that annoying trip to Russia got in the way… But now, you will face justice for destroying the lives of those girls."

Those were the words thrown towards an exasperated pointy-haired boy, who naively thought that he was going to finally return to his dorm for some needed rest from the events of this crap day, yet he found himself being accused of being a stalker by no other than Misaka Mikoto, the third strongest of the seven Level 5 espers of AC.

To understand why Kamijou Touma would be called a stalker, one would need to return in time and explain the events that caused this obvious misunderstanding. The events that made one of the strongest espers in the city think that he was the perpetrator and then the accomplice of the attacks on women during the month of June. To simply explain it, Kamijou Touma happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…

Facing the horrendous truth of this events easily became one of the most dreadful and grueling experiences Kamijou Touma ever had, which was saying something considering all the events the teen faced in his battle to protect people. It didn't help much when a certain Electromaster got in his way during the time he intended to catch the true **mastermind** behind those horrendous acts.

A certain level 5 electromaster, a Level 3 ojou that could manipulate water and the commander of a certain private security organization would play important roles in the **Hunt** of a demented esper who sought to join a dark world hidden from those of **Academy City**, but not everything was what it looked like.

At the same time, they would become part of the many obstacles of said hunt, but neither of them will know it. Only the Imagine Breaker would see the truth, and only he would able to stop him. However, the end would inevitably destroy his sanity, and only true friendship would do what is necessary to heal him, even if it meant to r********* and e**** his ********.

And so, the story behind Misaka Mikoto's accusation will begin.

**PART 1**

The first week of **June**, the beginning of the raining season in **Japan**, current location: **Academy City School District 9**.

Unlike any other district, its hierarchical structure was based on seniority, and its main focus was for schools related to the industrial and fine arts. Even so, these schools used hologram technology instead of the traditional teaching methods despite them focusing on arts and crafts.

The description of this district, however, was an unrelated topic to what was going to occur in its streets. The horrible event that was about to come to an unsuspecting girl that happened to oversleep in her tennis club, and thus, having to leave at night alone when she finally woke up.

The **ROAD** she would choose to take in order to get to a bus stop would lead her to a destiny of suffering and despair. If only… she had known that…

**PART 2**

**Kamijou Touma**, resident in Academy City, student, **Level 0 esper** and undeniably, a teen whose life was marked by **Misfortune**. Also, the carrier of the mysterious power called the **Imagine Breaker**, which could negate all that was supernatural, was actually wearing his usual school uniform.

This unfortunate boy, having experienced intense hardships during his childhood due to the bad luck that followed him since he was born, chose to become someone that would fight for those who could not fight for themselves, a person that would protect those that lacked strength. If it was within his capabilities, Kamijou Touma would bring a smile to every saddened face his eyes met.

The **God of Pestilence** as he was called as a child would become the light of hope of many in the future, though he would not realize it. Nevertheless, that's how he was; it was never his business, but still he would put his life on the line for a stranger's sake.

The pointy-haired boy was, at the moment, on his daily night patrols on the streets of AC, choosing to patrol District 9 this time. While Kamijou Touma didn't traverse through AC at night every day, he always did when he had the time and today happened to be one of those days.

Of course, the boy was mentally prepared to deal with thugs and gangsters should he encounter them.

Getting their attention, running away as they gave chase to him in order to get them away from their victims and finally lose them was the usual plan Kamijou Touma used when someone was being bullied, robbed or attacked.

These were the reasons why he chose to patrol around at night at some districts within the city. If he could prevent any kind of violent act directed at anyone, then it was always worth it.

That night, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the illuminated streets of Academy City created a spectacle of lights on the tallest buildings, though it somehow gave the streets a somber outlook. A zeppelin barely visible on the sky showed a message with shiny letters about the construction of a surveillance building in the **Switchyard** located in the **School district 17**. There was barely any student among the streets, just the usual couple here and there playing with themselves and kissing… not that it was the business of a certain unfortunate individual.

Said individual decided to get a snack while he continued his patrol, and after getting a sandwich from a store that thankfully sold cheap products, the boy reached a park.

The park in Kamijou's eyes looked creepy and not a single person was around. Kamijou scratched his head in uncertainty as he decided to look around before heading to some other place. The lack of people made this place silent, eerily silent, and the lampposts located through the empty park barely helped to improve one's eyesight.

Minutes passed and the pointy-haired boy crossed his arms as he finally felt satisfied with his inspection of the surroundings. Nothing was going to occur around here, it was a better idea to head somewhere else where his presence could be needed… or so he thought.

The wind blew strongly, Kamijou covered his face with his arm and a moan was heard.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 01

* * *

This frightened the boy.

"What was that?"

The wary teen asked himself as he began to scout the area again. Since that sound, a feeling of dread emerged within him though he couldn't tell why. A few minutes passed with still no one to be seen, making the teen sigh.

"Did I just imagine that or what?"

He was wrong.

A frightening moan was heard again, alarming him and causing instant paranoia. While the boy did not believe in ghosts, he accepted that if they existed, they would sound like that, not to mention that the dark environment helped improving that line of thought.

Still, Kamijou Touma was not intimidated. No matter how this seemed, ghosts did not exist. Electric stimulation of the brain, infrasound, the ideomotor effect, carbon monoxide poisoning and other explanations demonstrated that the term **ghost** lacked credibility.

These events were just a coincidental occurrence, leaving him with one question. Who was moaning?

A prank, a couple having their "happy hour" or some animal hidden among the trees were some of the possible explanations behind these moans. In the end, there was only one solution for this dilemma, he would need to find the source of this sounds.

The state of paranoia in which Kamijou found himself in was strengthened due to the creepy sounds, sinister atmosphere and the emerging sentiment of anxiety and fear towards the unknown. If one were to be exposed to this kind of experience for a long amount of time, one's mind would without a doubt, fall to irrationality and delusion, leading to madness.

Thought it was too early to assume that Kamijou Touma was on the phase of irrationality, his current thinking just concerned a perceived threat towards himself.

"Who's there!?"

No response came, at least, not the kind of response Kamijou hoped to hear. The bush behind him moved twice, alerting Kamijou, who spun around quickly to face it and waited.

Today was supposed to be one of those _**ordinary**_ days for the teen that carried a mysterious power he did not understand. The usual encounter with thugs leading to the same process: Gain attention, the chase and the escape, with some minor changes involving a punch of his right hand towards the face of a thug when the circumstances deemed it necessary.

Of course, only Kamijou Touma would deem something like this _**ordinary**_. Simply put, what the spiky-haired boy considered as _**ordinary**_ was in fact, really far from _**ordinary**_, to the point that it could be charitably called _**unusual**_, _**bizarre**_ or bluntly called _**insane**_.

But _**ordinary**_ was not the term even he would have used in the moment something came out of the bush, neither was _**uncommon**_ or even _**insane**_. The exact word was much simpler than _**ordinary**_, because it held only one possible meaning.

The word was: _**Cruel**_.

Moreover, the boy instantly went into panic.

Just a few minutes ago, Kamijou Touma feared for his own well-being, but the reason he was panicking now was because a bloody hand came out of the bush. The index finger of it twisted in an unnatural way.

Kamijou stepped back, unable to say anything else as he just stared in horror at the hand that tried to grab onto something. Kamijou gulped and shook his head to regain his composure.

"H…h…elp… me…"

The barely audible voice that came from the hand's direction rang alarms in his head as he finally realized what was going on. Kamijou dashed forward to the bush and pushed it away, revealing a horrendous sight.

A young girl, a student, resident of this city, was covered in blood.

Kamijou widened his eyes; the girl was clearly on the verge of death. Her uniform was torn-apart, there were bruises all over her body and her breathing was hard and elaborated. There was cuts and blood everywhere on her, just... the sight of her wounds made his eyes hurt.

Not even a single second passed before the boy pocketed out his cell and called emergencies.

The furious boy then clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles becoming white. It was at a time like this that Kamijou Touma contemplated the thought of hurting someone really bad.

**PART 3**

"You found her, right?"

"Yeah…"

"What were you doing here at this hour?"

The boy averted his eyes at the question of the **Anti-Skill** officer interrogating him. The boy was currently sitting on a bench near the place of the crime.

The girl had been already taken to the hospital, and as much he would have liked to go in the ambulance with her to make sure she would be fine, he was told to remain here and explain the details of his finding.

Several Anti-Skill specialists investigated the area as they tried to find any clue behind the culprit of the crime, and gather evidence that could prove useful. Specialists that took care of this job were thoroughly trained to be able to carefully handle** DNA evidence** in order to avoid contamination or destruction of it.

DNA evidence was found in materials such as blood, saliva, fingerprints, sweat, urine, etc. To collect it always was a crucial part on discovering the true nature of a crime.

In Academy City, advanced technology was used to examine the collected evidence, creating a DNA profile used in criminal investigations. Therefore, crime labs examined DNA profiles collected from crime scenes through Academic City's data base, finding potential suspects and comparing them to find the correct match.

However, the fact that no biological material was found in either of the first two crime scenes, nor on the body of the two victims, complicated the investigation. This was an incredibly rare occurrence.

Normally, in these kinds of violent acts, the attacker would always leave some kind of DNA material at the crime scene, whether it was found on the victim, her clothes or somewhere else but to the investigators' bewilderment, nothing was found, as if it was somehow removed. With no DNA evidence, the use of an advanced computer would be useless.

Not even with **Tree Diagram**, which was a super computer whose main purpose was to monitor many aspects of AC, such as weather and security. It held a world wide web of information and was installed on the satellite **Orihime 1** to protect it from terrorists, industrial spies or supremacists; of course, under the pretest of weather prediction.

On a side note, when it came to terrorist attacks, the **Tree Diagram Information Receival Center** located in **District 23**, was used in order to work more rapidly in shutting off any future threat by receiving direct information from Orihime 1 where Tree Diagram was located, and sending it to the law-enforcement organizations within the city. However, it only could be accessed by the **Academy City's Board of Directors**.

Back on track, according to the crime scene's report, the place in which the girl was found wasn't actually where the attack occurred because of the trail of blood leading to it. Apparently, the girl dragged herself through the park to get to a place where someone could find her.

"I was just passing through here. I actually was going to my dorm in District 7."

"That didn't answer my question. If your dorm is in district 7, what were you doing here?"

The officer was getting suspicious. The boy was not answering properly, which implied that he had something to hide. On the other side, if Kamijou responded with the truth, he suspected the officer would not believe him either. Only if he was from **Judgment**, he would have a good excuse for his night patrol, alas he wasn't, so he did not have any green armband that could prove his words even if he were to lie.

The armoured officer narrowed his eyes at the unresponsive teen, his riot helmet on hand. The officer knew that the teen was not the culprit but his behavior was questionable. Anti-Skill already got a lead about the culprit's appearance and the spiky-haired teen didn't quite match it. It was also obvious that the culprit would not call an ambulance for the victim who happened to still be conscious enough to recognize who was her attacker.

Even so, if the attacker wore a mask, then she would not recognize him either way, however this was not the case.

The girl, whose identity had yet to still be discovered, was the third victim of these attacks. The first victim announced on the news was found in a similar condition on **May 28**, who died before arriving at the hospital. The second attack occurred on **June 3**, the victim was still recovering, though she lost the vision on her right eye due to the damage it sustained after receiving multiple hits. She was also undergoing mental therapy due to her traumatic experience.

The testimony of the second victim was thankfully very helpful. She described her attacker as someone young and attractive, with brown hair and green eyes. The girl couldn't remember clearly, the only thing her mind recalled about his outfit was a green bracelet he wore and a tie with black and red square patterns.

**Psychometrists** from Judgment were dispatched to examine the mind of the second victim, to no avail. What they did manage to see was the same description she gave, with not even a single other lead that could help them find the culprit, which was suspicious.

Some experts analysed this event as illogical. While the second victim explained what she could remember, the psychometrics should have gotten a better glimpse of those events through her mind. They theorized that, if the attacker was a mind controller, then this would explain how the attacker incapacitated the victim and possibly altered her memories.

However, this theory raises another question. Why did the attacker choose to not completely erase her memory if this was the case?

It shouldn't be hard to use **Psychometry** to find the criminal, which was the ability to read and manipulate the human mind, though the extent of its effectiveness was heavily related to the level of the user. By observing the surroundings or objects relevant to a person, it could enable the user to glean information from someone's mind. Though for some reason, it proved useless in this case.

The attacker had intercepted the second victim on her way to her dorm, pulling her to a dark alley when she was walking on the street. From the victim's description, it was as if some powerful force dragged her inside though she felt a hand grabbing her arm. It was too early to assume that it was some kind of esper ability since it could be the sheer strength of the attacker.

The victim mentioned that she lost consciousness when she got abducted, and regained it while she was being hit and cut with a knife. The girl tried to resist, but she couldn't move despite not being tied.

Toxicology tests have been run on her to determine if a drug was used to make her lose control over her body but nothing of the sort was detected. The same result was obtained from the autopsy of the first victim.

Anti-Skill came to a conclusion: To render a person immobile without the use of a drug could only be related to the already mentioned possibility of an esper with telekinetic or mind control capabilities.

A shiny bracelet and a tie with an unusual pattern. There was not much to continue from there besides the face profile obtained by her description and the psychometrists, leaving Anti-Skill with the only option of continuing to search on the database to find any matches and wait for the third victim's testimony and psychometry session.

Naturally, if the attacker was not a resident of Academy City, any possibility of finding him on the database would prove to be highly unlikely. Not to mention that it would imply that someone unknown has breached AC's perimeter.

Either way, the criminal needed to be stopped. It was the top priority, not for only for Anti-Skill and other law-enforcement organizations like Judgment, but to Kamijou Touma as well.

An act as atrocious as this done to a poor girl, would never be forgiven by him and he would not remain ignorant to it.

But first off, he needed to get out of there and avoid further suspicion.

"I came here with my girlfriend. A friend mentioned this place to be a good place for us… to have some privacy," Kamijou explained, showing a disinterested expression. "You get it, right?"

The Anti-Skill officer snorted at the boy's remark. The expression he made quite showed that he understood what he meant. The officer would have smiled if not for the fact that a girl had been brutally attacked recently.

"I see. Where is she now?"

"…She left a while after… That's when I began to head to my dorm. I heard some noise coming from that bush and well, you know the rest."

While his lie lacked details, it was believable; after all, he was a teen in the age of getting interested in the opposite sex. It was normal for couples to wander in the streets at late hours to have some time alone, so why would he be an exception? The boy was single actually, but the officer didn't know that.

"You realize that if you are hiding any important fact about this, you could become an accomplice of this crime?"

Kamijou nodded.

The spoliation of evidence, or more exactly, the intentional or negligent withholding, hiding, altering or destroying of any evidence or information relevant in solving a case was considered a crime. Kamijou didn't have to fear that though, he really knew nothing.

"Get in the car; I'll take you to your dorm."

"Thanks… I appreciate it."

The boy suppressed a sigh as he walked to the police vehicle and mused about the implications of the terrible crime. A horrible finding interrupted today's patrol. A girl had been brutally attacked by an unknown individual, and he was still free to continue his crimes, which gave him a repulsive feeling.

Kamijou Touma was not going to let that bastard get away with it.

**Between the Lines 1**

"Yes, it's an important object. I want it back, is that clear?"

A woman with the looks of a child commanded, her aquamarines eyes observing carefully a group of elite enforcers known as **Crows**, all of them wearing black bull-body muscle suits.

"Your command will be accomplished, Tangleroad-sama!"

All crows present shouted, causing a smile to appear on the blond girl before them.

**Ladylee Tangleroad**, the chief executive officer of the Orbit Portal Company, also, founder and owner of the civil affairs resolution mediation unit to which the crows belonged to, known as the **Black Crow Unit**. Its official goal was to maintain the order in Academy City, thought the main purpose for its creation was to follow Ladylee's orders, should they be related to AC's security or other issues.

The girl wore eccentric clothing that had a checkered pattern, giving her the looks of a gothic lolita.

"I will find the bracelet and bring it to you. We can't allow that criminal to use it for his twisted desires, though I still fail to see how it could give him the ability as to become invisible to cameras or the human eye."

"Shutaura, refrain from participating in this mission. Your main objective is to watch over that girl, do not forget that. Also, you are in charge of dealing with any terrorist attack that could affect the construction of Endymion," Ladylee directed her eyes to her nails, an uninterested expression adorning her face. "I haven't hired you for understanding anything, just stick to your orders."

**Shutaura Sequenzia**, commander of the **Dark Crow Unit**, narrowed her black eyes upon hearing her blunt response. While she was under Lalylee's employment, she had to say that the blond girl always had the ability to unnerve her… to some extent.

Shutaura grabbed a lock of her long straight black hair, putting her other hand on her hip to return the apathetic gesture.

"As you say, leader."

"Then you are all dismissed. Be sure to inform me of any progress in the search of Vár."

Named after the **Nordic Goddess** of **Oath-keeping**, the bracelet by the name of **Vár** was stolen from one of Ladylee's storages hidden within the many districts of the city. This object in particular had no connection to science; in fact, the bracelet's creation could not be explained as normal, because it was considered a… **magical artifact**.

Yes, in the world existed supernatural phenomena that was not associated to science in any way, because its essence was related to the occult. In Academy City, most were ignorant to it, with a few exceptions of course, like Ladylee and a few others.

**Magic**, unknown to those who choose to walk the road of Science, and yet, the only road left for those born without talent, was the supernatural phenomena that could not be explained or analysed via any sort of scientific means and reasoning, but could give a person the chance of doing the same things an esper could. Any form of magic was based around a certain ideological premise, whose origin can come from anything culturally narrative, such as **religions**, **belief systems**, **mythologies**, **folklore** and even **fairy tales**.

**Espers** were born from science, while **Magicians** came from magic.

In contrast to espers that held a single ability decided since birth, a magician could create supernatural phenomena without any kind of restriction, thought its price and toll was heavier. In order to achieve control of magic, a magician trained for years in order to become proficient at preparing it properly through the use of Mana.

**Mana** existed in all forms of life. It could be obtained by processing a person's inner life force, it also existed in the earth itself, where magicians and some magical artifacts drew their power from in the form of **Leylines**, the currents of power that ran through the earth.

Magicians often used **magic arrays**, which were designs or arrangements that could facilitate the use of magic. Drawn magic circles were examples of magic arrays, as well as using the positions of the stars and other examples. **Spiritual Items** were also utilized to aid in the use of magic. In precise rituals and ceremonies, these specialized tools had to correspond to the symbols and requirements of the spell, thus allowing the magic to be executed more efficiently.

However, the** bracelet of Vár** did not facilitate the use of magic. What it did in fact was to grant a magic connection between the wielder and the desired person in exchange of his/her strongest current emotion, whether it was love, hate, sadness, happiness, fear, wrath, compassion, remorse and others. Once used, the bracelet would permanently absorb this emotion, leaving the wielder incapable of feeling it again, even if the bracelet was removed. Despite this, it did not give any special ability or magic to the one that wielded it.

This connection could allow the one not wearing the bracelet to get great amounts of mana from the soul of the wielder of Vár. Also, Vár allowed those under its effect to be able to sense each other when desired.

This object didn't have any importance to Ladylee Tangleroad's plans, but it was a valuable object she obtained in the course of decades since she began her investigation of the occult. She was not exactly looking forward to lose the bracelet and let it be used by some stranger.

That is why the Black Crow Unit had been called to the main hall of Ladylee's Manor, they would catch the robber, retrieve the magical artifact and deal with him properly.

All the crows nodded firmly after hearing her orders and left the hall in which they were gathered, only Shutaura remaining in front of the immortal girl.

Shutaura had many times wondered why Ladylee looked like a litte girl, eventually leading her to think that her superior had some kind of disease that didn't allowed her to grow, or maybe she used some kind of technology to stop her growth.

Looks were deceiving, though, Ladylee was not someone you could mess up with and live to tell the tale. She was wealthy; she was cold and manipulative, with seemingly unlimited resources at her disposal. The time Shutaura had known Ladylee gave her the impression that there was something dark and extremely dangerous about her.

However, Ladylee didn't give any heed to how people looked at her; those eyes of pity, wonder and curiosity always directed at her, she couldn't have cared any less. She was immortal; a curse worse than dying 1000 times was within her due to a magic fruit.

**Ambrosia**, a small magical fruit whose name came from Greek Mythology. Legends spoke of it as the food eaten by the gods that could confer anyone with ageless inmortality. It truly existed.

Having eaten Ambrosia, Ladylee's body remained as how it was when she consumed it, hence, her looks of a small girl. She didn't age, she couldn't die, as much as she tried various ways of killing herself, she never succeeded. She was cursed to live forever and see everyone around her age and die, her body never changing in the slightest. This had led her to become cold, even cruel deranged seeker of death.

But she had plans, which involved a certain **Space Elevator**, and a girl whose dream was to become a professional **Idol**. The time when Ladylee's wish would become true, she just needed to wait a bit more.

She had already waited three years since she had set in motion her plan, three more months shouldn't be any problem.

"Don't you have anything to do, Shutaura?"

"…I'll be on my way. Good night."

With that, Shutaura Sequenzia left the hall as she made up her decision. Ladylee ordered her to not get involved with retrieving the stolen bracelet, but she didn't mention anything about the thug.

She would catch the robber by herself and bring the criminal to justice.

**PART 4**

A day has passed since the incident in a certain park in district 9.

In a **Certain High School** in **District 7**, a boy with no luck attended his daily school classes.

Current hour: 10:30 a.m.

"ESP, or Extrasensory Perception is the ability in which person can receive information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but with the mind itself. This means that someone with ESP could learn of distant or future events that had yet to occur. Some scientists often called it the Sixth Sense."

"Is that something like what fortune readers do, Komoe-sensei?"

The petit homeroom teacher by the name of **Tsukuyomi Komoe** frowned at this question. The little teacher, considered as one of the seven wonders of the school wondered why something as fortune-reading would be mentioned in her class.

"What nonsense are you asking me-desu? Fortune-reading is based on predicting information about a person's life. It's not a science-based art, so it's just considered as some sort of unreliable method of getting information, used to deceive those with weak minds."

Every student in the class nodded, with the exception of a pointy-haired boy that was looking aimlessly through the window at his side. Komoe noticed it and a grabbed the lower part of her cute outfit in frustration.

"Kamijou-chan! How many times do I have to tell you to listen-"

Komoe stopped herself; his student simply glanced at her with a dull expression and sighed. That was not the normal reaction he would have made, something was not right.

"Well, Komoe-sensei, Kami-yan has been a little distracted since this morning-nya. You should just ignore him and continue the class."

A blond-haired guy with dark-glasses whose name was **Tsuchimikado Motoharu** spoke, causing the class's attention to focus on Kamijou Touma. Another comment was soon followed by **Aogami Pierce**.

"Yep, sensei. Let Kami-yan be. He even ignored the conversation about how tiny bikinis should be and that clearly isn't normal."

A certain black haired girl in the class observed Kamijou carefully, who in turn seemed to just ignore everyone's comments. She crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest.

"Stop bothering him," The girl known as **Fukiyose Seiri** commanded, she tried to sound as intimidating as she could to get the intended order to be followed.

"Could it be that…?" A spiky-haired girl of the class who wore glasses stood up, and directed her eyes to the boy with similar hair. "It was you, isn't it? I saw in the news about the new attack, and they said a student of this school found the victim. I thought I saw you walking in the background but I wasn't so sure."

Everyone looked at Kamijou in disbelief and confusion. Most of them were aware of the incidents since they became known through the media. If she was right, then a classmate found one of the victims…

"Is this true, Kami-yan?" Tsuchimikado asked with a serious tone that got some mixed reactions from the other students. It was very uncommon to see two members of the **idiot trio** acting this serious, even if it wasn't surprising considering this was no laughing matter.

The boy did not answer, at least, not immediately.

"Yes, it's true. But I rather not talk about it."

Kamijou responded dryly. He couldn't get it out of his head how bad that poor girl looked when he found her. The more he remembered, the more it made his blood boil in anger.

None of Kamijou's classmates spoke as they gazed in shock, which soon turned into ones of pity and understanding. Most of them wondered how bad that experience was to cause Kamijou to act like this.

"OK… Kamijou-chan… Let's… continue the class. We'll talk later-desu."

Kamijou simply nodded and directed his eyes to his book. Komoe was worried, she didn't want Kamijou-chan to be depressed and she wasn't the only one. Other girls in the class glanced at him from time to time as the class continued. One of them was the girl with the nickname of **The Iron Wall Girl**, Fukiyose, who kept observing him closely.

She was more than troubled. Fukiyose hated when Kamijou acted like a kid and complained about how unfortunate he was. This time, he undoubtedly experienced a terrible event. The look of his eyes was beginning to exasperate her. She wanted to help him, to cheer him up, to be there for him as a friend, but wasn't sure on how to approach the boy, so she did nothing.

As much as she would have liked to get closer to Kamijou, Fukiyose just couldn't gather the courage to say anything to him and just did nothing; she decided to leave things to go on its natural flow.

Fukiyose Seiri was already regretting that decision.

**PART 5**

What resulted was a very long talk. Komoe and Kamijou had a really long discussion about what happened the previous night in the teacher staff room, which caught the interest of a certain busty professor and member of Anti-Skill, **Yomikawa Aiho**.

Still, the woman chose to just remain silent as she overheard their discussion.

Yomikawa frowned upon hearing the teen's explanation. It was more shocking to hear it from his lips than reading it in the report her squad received this morning that already included the psychometry session data from the third victim.

The report mentioned that the victim was intercepted in a street located at two blocks from the park where she was found. The girl was struck unconscious by a hit she received on the head.

The victim awoke in the aforementioned park; her eyes only caught a brief glimpse of a green bracelet and the tie of her attacker, exactly like what was gathered from the second victim's psycometry session. She also managed to see a part of his face, which proved that it was the indeed same perpetrator as her description of the attacker´s face coincided with the other testimony.

The third victim, like the second one, was a student that belonged to the **Tokiwadai Middle School**, one of the five most prestigious schools in AC, which happened to be the most renowned girls' school in the world.

No more info was gathered from the victim's mind, leaving Anti-Skill and also Judgment in the dark. There weren't any good leads to follow, not even a good theory that could explain how the attacker managed to elude the authorities' grasp, and this certainly infuriated the woman.

"Well, Komoe-sensei… I'm going home," The boy said suddenly, making Komoe worried. She didn't want her dear student to leave in that seemingly depressed state, and as much as she tried to cheer him up and rationally explain that in the world, cruel stuff like this happened, it didn't really improve his mood.

"Kamijou-chan… Are you sure you are going to be alright? I knew that allowing you to make those night patrols wouldn't bring any good to you-desu."

The boy snorted and left a soft, yet sad chuckle. Yomikawa furrowed an eyebrow at his odd reaction, but more so when she heard the words 'night patrol', wondering what Komoe meant by that.

"It's better like this. I rather know the truth than to live ignorant to it… At least, I know what I'm going to do now."

"Kamijou-chan?"

"Don't worry sensei. This Kamijou-san will be fine."

Komoe did not say anything else, his voice was determined. She would have to trust his words.

**Between the Lines 2**

"The surveillance cameras didn't show anything? How is that possible?!"

A certain Judgment member with tawny hair and two curly pigtails said in disbelief as she along with her companion, a black haired girl that wore a headband made of artificial flowers, though the girl would never admit that, revised the tapes of the camera security system of District 9.

"The cameras haven't recorded any suspicious person, only the victim appears in the camera footage. The girl simply disappears when she reaches this blind spot. Then, after her disappearance, this boy appears 2 hours later walking through the area and enters the park where she was found. Ambulances and Anti-Skill arrive shortly after."

"So what we've got until now?"

After examining the report sent to Judgment's database by Anti-skill, **Shirai Kuroko** and **Uiharu Kazari** began their investigation, while their superior and chief of the **177 branch of Judgment**, **Konori Mii**, examined some documents related to this case.

The three girls were currently in **Judgment's 177 Branch office**.

"The first victim was a member of Skill-Out and level 3 esper, oddly, there's not much info about her besides that," Konori commented as she moved her gaze to yet another folder. "The other two victims were from the Tokiwadai Middle School, and were level 3 and 4 respectively… Maybe the attacker is targeting high level espers?"

"That's possible. But… isn't there any other kind of connection between them?"

Kuroko mused upon hearing Uiharu's inquiry, and then directed her eyes to the girl with short dark-blue hair that wore glasses.

"Konori-sempai, is the third victim related to the second one? If they are from the same school, there's the possibility that-"

"I don't think so," Konori interjected. "The report says they did not know each other, they were also from different classes." Kuroko opened her mouth to speak but Konori continued. "And don't ask me how I can affirm that. The psycometrists explored their minds so this intel is quite accurate."

"You're right… I even thought at some point that this guy had some kind of grudge against my school, but with the first victim's profile, well, it kind of disproves that theory," Kuroko commented weakly.

Uiharu returned her gaze to the screen of her laptop and continued to search through the profile list of the residents of the city. However, the flower-headed girl didn't manage to find any that matched the face of the attacker's portrait, much to her frustration.

Even with her amazing abilities with operating computers, that included hacking, quick search, understanding of complicated programs and the use of them, in the end, there was simply no match for it. Not in the esper list at the least, that's why she moved onto the list of non-espers. So far, still no luck in the search.

Kuroko let her body fall on the sofa behind her and let out a sigh. She felt mentally exhausted, their investigation since the finding of the second victim hasn't advanced much, and things haven't really improved upon receiving this morning's report. Simply put, they were stuck.

"It seems the only connection between the victims is their high level as espers. Skill-Out must be-"

"To blame Skill-Out of this would not make any sense. I don't really think they would hurt their own people," Konori interrupted the hacker by the name of Uiharu as she stood up from her desk. "There is always the possibility that the criminal is choosing his targets randomly."

Uiharu and Kuroko frowned; there were simply a huge amount of possibilities that could explain what was going on, they needed solid evidence to direct the case to a point where it could be solved.

"ARG!" Kuroko scratched her head in exasperation. "We are not going anywhere with this!"

"C-calm down, Shirai-san! I'm going to contact the other branches to see if they have any leads… At least something that could be useful…"

A tick mark appeared on Konori's head, announcing that a certain level 4 Teleporter A.K.A Shirai Kuroko was about to receive a scolding from her superior.

"SHIRAI! THERE IS NO USE LOSING YOUR HEAD NOW! WE NEED TO STAY FOCUSED!"

"I'M SORRY, KONORI-SEMPAI! BUT AREN'T YOU THE ONE SCREAMING!?"

Uiharu Kazari, **Level 1 esper**, just shook her head at the antics of her partners before her eyes returned to the screen of her laptop.

**PART 6**

Current location: **School District 5**. Two days later.

The main focuses of this district were junior colleges and universities, as well as dorms and accommodations for the students to reside in. The ranks and reputation of buildings and establishments were much higher and had an overall relaxed atmosphere than in other districts, such as School District 7.

Nevertheless, the word relaxed was very far from what Kamijou Touma was feeling in this exact moment. Some kind of liquid covered the path before him, so he knelt and touched it with his hand before some red letters drawn on the wall caught his attention making him stand again. It was 7:49 p.m. and he was alone in a dark alley… Well not exactly, his eyes observed in disbelief and impotence at the sight before him.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 01

* * *

**ArE You FoLLowIng Me? YoU BeTtEr dO bEcaUSe I aM nOt StOpInG :)**

"This is…!"

A new girl had been massacred, and a woman on the same state was lying on the ground just in front of him, neither of them moving. This was horrible.

It was then that he realized what the liquid that was spread all over the place was, his eyes moving to the stain on his hand… blood… It was blood.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes in ire, he was late again. Even if he managed to hear the shouts of agony of the new victims as he patrolled through this area, when he arrived at the source from where these shouts originated, he only found two new victims, the criminal was gone.

"Damn it!" A furious fist crashed against the wall; however, Kamijou did not feel any pain or maybe it was because he didn't care.

**PART 7**

**Misaka Mikoto**, resident of Academy City, student, **Level 5 esper**, the strongest **electromaster**, better known as the **Railgun**. She had chestnut brown hair with matching eyes and a slightly attractive figure… though her chest was rather small much to her frustration…

Studying in Tokiwadai Middle School, she wore the uniform of her school, which was composed of brown loafers with a light brown vest over a white blouse, a grey skirt and white socks.

Misaka Mikoto, being an **Electric Shock User**, could generate and manipulate electricity. She could also sense all phenomenon related to her power like electric fields from the surrounding nature, along with all magnetic and electromagnetic information that was subconsciously processed.

Mikoto could also give various applications to her ability, like the **Super Electromagnetic Cannon**. This skill was the reason on why she was called Railgun. As a level 5 esper, this ability could be capable of having a maximum output of one million volts. This means that she could fire a metal projectile three times the speed of sound, utilizing the **Fleming's left-hand rule** by the use of a great amount of electricity.

Her ability had other uses, like observing and manipulating electric, electromagnetic and magnetic fields with the unaided eye, which in fact was very valuable due to the large output and vast range of applications.

With them Mikoto was capable of creating lightning spears, summoning real lightning, creating electromagnetic pulses and chainsaw-like swords that were made of gathering iron sand from her surroundings.

She could also use her own **AIM dispersion** field to sense her surroundings that also protected her against telephatic manipulation. By manipulating **Electromagnetism**, she was able to walk and even run on surfaces made of metal, whether they were walls, ceilings, etc, as well as gathering any object made of metal no matter its size from the surroundings in order to use it as a shield.

Minor applications of her esper powers that was still very useful, was the capability of performing minute operations that required great control of her skills such as reading electric signals, cracking devices such as electronic locks and other kinds of security systems, stealing information from credit card's magnetic strip, hacking computers or any data bases with a simple portable terminal, etc.

It wasn't surprising that she was considered the number 3 of the seven existing level 5 espers of AC, considering of what she was capable of, hence, her title as the **Ace of Tokiwadai**.

The girl found herself inside a crowd gathered in front of a crime scene. For what the girl had heard between the comments of the students around her, two new victims were found just half an hour ago, they were both dead. Anti-Skill had already the area secured, and the bodies have been already taken to the nearest Anti-Skill crime lab for autopsy.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Mikoto heard a girl scream, followed by several gasps. "How many deaths are going to occur before they capture that criminal!?"

"Wasn't the security tight in this city?"

"Anti-Skill is useless!"

Shouts of protest and claims of disgust were thrown at the agents of order present in the area, the crowd becoming quite agitated. Mikoto chose to step out of the mass of people and sneaked through the parked vehicles near her in order to get a better look to the crime scene.

It was when the second attack happened that Mikoto's roommate and close friend, Shirai Kuroko, who was a member of the Disciplinary Committee, commented about the case of a stalker that attacked girls, which certainly caught her attention, not only angering her, but also, causing fear deep inside her.

She was a level 5 that could very well protect herself. She had dealt with gangs of thugs trying to hit on her or force her to go with them several times in the past. None of them remained standing after her electric therapy for good behaviour was over. Most of these guys were just pigs, only interested in lewd stuff and Mikoto found this extremely irritating.

However, she knew this was different. This was not usual thugs attacking girls.

The criminal behind these atrocious acts had managed to elude Anti-Skill's grasp so far, which spoke a lot about how skilled the criminal was. The security cameras haven't detected any suspicious people in the area, which made this case even more difficult to solve. There was no evidence that could help the case either, and Mikoto couldn't help feeling that she needed to do something to stop this bastard.

First, she needed all the information she could gather and the crime scene just some meters away from her was the best place to start with.

Mikoto waited, the investigators were still examining the area. The girl looked around; maybe if she entered though one of the alleyways that was connected to this one, she could get a good look around without being caught.

The girl walked around the block. Upon reaching the intersection, a boy appeared out of nowhere and Mikoto barely managed to stop before crashing into him.

The boy had spiky hair and was a student. His expression startled her, he looked pissed, yet nervous and he just stared at her with uncertainty. Mikoto's eyes examined him, and to her surprise, she saw blood on one of his hands.

"Is… is there a problem?" The boy asked her, putting both hands on his pockets.

Mikoto gave him a stern look; she saw blood on him after all.

Two persons were murdered recently, and coincidentally, this boy appears near the scene of the crime with a suspicious attitude and a stain of blood on his hand. Was he the stalker? The criminal? She knew she couldn't jump to conclusions but this couldn't be a coincidence.

"Actually, yeah…" Mikoto cleared her throat as she formulated her inquiry. "Do you know that two persons were murdered recently just around the corner?"

The pointy haired teen by the name of Touma furrowed his eyebrows. What was this girl trying to get at, he wondered. He had seen that uniform before, she was from Tokiwadai.

"I heard…"

"You heard? Then why do you have blood in your hand if you just heard about it?"

"Hm?" Kamijou took both hands out of the pockets; there was some blood on the fingers and part of the palm of his left hand, which startled him. "I guess… there is no use hiding it. I was the one who found the victim and called emergencies."

"And you are here because…?" Mikoto crossed her arms. "Shouldn't you be informing any important detail to Anti-Skill right now? Or… are you hiding from them?"

Her tone strongly suggested that she was wary of him; this triggered the warning bells in his head.

Kamijou totally forgot to remove the blood of his hand due to his shock upon seeing the new victims. His current situation would easily lead this girl to believe he was the criminal if he didn't play well his cards. Her suspicious was not illogical, but it wasn't the true either.

He would need to convince her of that.

"I just don't want to have anything to do with this… I am as terrified as you are. The only thing I could do was to call Anti-Skill, but I don't want to get interrogated by them. That's why I called as an anonymous."

Mikoto observed him thoroughly. "…Well, I guess that could be true…"

"It's true."

Mikoto was doubtful, she recalled seeing in the news that a student found the third victim. Could it be that the attacker was a student trying to deceive everyone? That the boy in front of her was the criminal? She didn't have enough evidence to prove it but this boy was suspicious, whoever he was.

"If you say so."

Mikoto turned around and walked away from the nervous teen as she glanced at him suspiciously before he was out of her sight. There was always the possibility that he was saying the truth but… there was also the possibility that he was lying. Whatever it was, Mikoto needed to investigate these incidents further and discover the identity of the criminal, whether it was this boy or anyone else. She somehow had a feeling that this would not be the last time they would meet.

The teenager blinked in confusion as he finally was left alone.

"That was close… Fukou da…"

**PART 8**

A couple of days later.

As much people always tried to stay out of trouble, whether they were related to them or not, it was never the case with **Kamijou Touma**.

With him as the example, it was the contrary actually. It could be said that he tended to get into trouble whenever he went due to standing firm to his beliefs, though if he could have avoided the usual confrontations his actions usually caused, he definitely would have done so.

Truthfully, there was never an instance of a situation where he could just save or protect someone without trouble occurring, ever.

In another way of speaking, it could be said that trouble seemed to follow him or just be present in every place he went, which probably was related to his usual misfortune.

"Oh, damn it!"

Two days had passed since the murder of a teacher and her student. The killer was still roaming the streets freely, with no one that could find him. This was beginning to get a real pain in the ass for the authorities.

"From where did all these dudes come from!?"

A spiky-haired boy commented as he ran as fast as he could, simply because he found himself in one of those **_ordinary_** days of _**trouble**_ that occurred more than occasionally in his daily life.

District 7 was his current location.

A large group of thugs chased after a **level 0** and unfortunate student, Kamijou Touma. There were eleven and two of them carried firearms.

"Give us the girl you fucking punk!"

"There's no way in hell I'll do that, you lowlifes!"

The trouble in which Kamijou found himself was caused by his interference of some creepy looking guys hitting on a girl, who in fact looked extremely scared. After seeing her expression, Kamijou decided to do something about it, and he somehow knew that even if the poor girl rejected them, these delinquents wouldn't take no for an answer.

The rescued girl was currently in Kamijou's arms while he raced through the streets, putting all his strength on his legs in order to gain speed and not fall due to the extra weight on him.

This obviously led to the current chase. So how did it started?

* * *

A group of scary-looking persons surrounded a Tokiwadai student with a cute face, wavy light-brown hair and a very desirable body.

Her name was **Wannai Kinuho**, a **level 3 esper**; her ability was called **Hydro Hand**. With it, she was capable of manipulating small amounts of water, though she needed a body of water in order to control it. Water that has been scattered on the ground was no longer usable.

Wannai could only control four separate clumps of water at the same time, however, to control them required a lot of concentration. She could admit that she had great difficulty by only controlling one. Despite these disadvantages, once she controlled water, she could still manipulate it despite being out of her sight or it being inside a container.

Of course, Wannai being from Tokiwadai spoke a lot of her. She was an excellent student and a capable esper, but sadly, none of those qualities served to help her in her current situation.

She was intimidated by them, her will of defending herself broken, her ability was useless because there was no water for her to use. Never in her life has something like this happen to her and she was scared.

Her bad luck began when she was intercepted on her way to a gift shop. Her intention was to buy a pretty doll for her best friend at her school, however, her mind no longer held that concern, only fear for her well-being.

Yes, she feared. Wannai Kinuho feared for her life, she hoped that someone from Judgment or Anti-Skill would appear to save her from the gang but there was no one nearby, still… Her inner pleas were heard.

"Excuse me?"

Wannai blinked.

"Oh, there you were!"

Out of nowhere, a boy with spiky-haired and ordinary looks made his way through the group surrounding the scared girl. To her surprise, this boy grabbed her hand and smiled warmly at her.

She didn't know what it was or why it happened, but despite her actual situation, his smile gave her tranquility and some odd feelings she could not identify.

"With this many people around, it became a bit hard for me to find you," They boy talked to her in a casual manner and then scratched the back of his head on a sheepish manner. "Sorry I'm late."

Wannai blinked again and the boy frowned slightly.

(Oh, man… I hope she doesn't screw it up.)

The boy, whose name was Kamijou Touma, pleaded in his mind as he hoped the girl would just follow the flow. He had a plan, one that he had used several times and succeeded roughly half the time. Before he resorted to violent or exhausting measures to get the girl out of there, he chose to play the role of a friend that knew the future victim in order to show the thugs she wasn't alone, making them reconsider their actions.

Wannai stared at him before she smiled back, now fully aware of this boy's intention. He meant good.

"Oh, yes! But you still got me waiting for a while. I had to walk around for a bit to not get bored," Wannai puffed her cheeks as if bothered, to which Kamijou sighed inwardly in relief because she was playing along. "I hope you are ready to make up for it."

Kamijou chuckled, shortly forgetting his surroundings. Wannai also shove her fear aside and she continued to exchange gazes with the pointy-haired boy.

The plan, better called fake acting, was going smoothly, much to Kamijou's surprise and relief.

The reason why this plan failed the half of the times was simply because the girl in question did not follow the flow. That said, a couple of those times, thugs just didn't give a shit about it and still tried to get their hands on the victim. Either way, Kamijou knew what he had to do, whatever way this situation developed.

"Tch! Don't waste your time with a scumbag like him. Come with us and I'll make sure you'll have some real fun," The thugs closest to Wannai winked at her perversely.

Wannai's fear returned as she stepped back from the creepy man, while Kamijou only raised an eyebrow, looking quite pissed. Both students from different schools knew they were not going to let them off the hook so easily.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, really. To intimidate a girl to the point where she could cry? Look at the tears of my friend you caused by doing this!" Kamijou crossed his arms in disgust. "If you want a girl so much then just find some porn videos or something rather than bothering her or any other girls in the streets for that matter!"

"Huuuuh… you have a big mouth, punk! Don't you realize your situation? Huh!?"

The boy deadpanned.

Common delinquents always behaved like that, these weren't any different. Most times, they always tried to intimidate people by acting like psychos and moving on their victims in groups. Then again, if intimidating didn't work, they resorted to violence.

However, Kamijou Touma didn't give a damn about it. He was used to dealing with this kind of stuff.

"Yes, I do realize it and it irritates me that you guys try to hit on girls like this, only to scare them! Can you all do it like a normal person? Just because you can't gather the courage to ask a girl out doesn't mean that you should all gang up on her like a bunch of creeps!"

"What did you say, you little fuck!?"

To Wannai's dismay, the boy stepped forward to the leader of them, sporting an aggressive expression. Was he really trying to start a fight with them under these circumstances?

"I-I think we should get going… eh… Gintoki-kun."

(Gintoki-kun? Oh… She doesn't know my name. I guess she made up one… Though… I don't have a natural perm…)

"I guess you are right, let's just leav-"

Before Kamijou could finish his words, a robust brown-haired man stepped out of the gang, multiple scars spread through his arms and face.

"Would you just shut the fuck up!?" The thug glanced behind his left should and towards his fellow gang members. "Get rid of the kid, we'll have some fun with her anyway."

Wicked and disturbing smiles soon emerged among the other delinquents that were now staring at the terrified Tokiwadai student.

The leader observed her from top to bottom; this chick sure looked like a fine piece of meat, pretty tasty in fact. The thug licked his lips in a creepy way, waiting to savor her skin.

The situation looked bad, these guys were just repellent. Kamijou knew that at this rate, the girl could get raped by them, and possibly murdered after that.

There was no way in hell he's going to allow that.

"Then I hope you are all ready to face Anti-Skill," The boy said in a mocking manner, pointing his index towards them, or more exactly to what was behind them.

That instant, expressions of shock and fear appeared on every single one of them and gave Kamijou the confirmation that his trick was going to work.

"Anti-Skill!?" The leader repeated in shock as he and his gang spun around to face the direction of Anti-Skill.

(I guess it's time to move.)

Wannai did not expect it, nor did the thugs. To her surprise and embarrassment, the spiky-haired level 0 lifted her in a way only a husband would to her wife after getting married, bridal style.

With the stunned girl in arms, Kamijou sprinted between the unsuspecting delinquents and away from them.

In that moment, Wannai Kinuho didn't know what to do.

To let the unknown boy carry her in the embarrassing way he was doing it to an unknown destination or try to resist.

It was then when her eyes were directed towards the face of the unfortunate boy… and was impressed.

His face showed a fierce expression and his eyes were determined. Just staring at him made the girl feel safe despite their current situation and she couldn't help herself wanting to remain in his arms.

It was an odd feeling, one she had never felt before but she could describe it as a fuzzy sensation deep inside her chest. She didn't know what it was, maybe happiness? Perhaps hope? Whatever it was, Wannai found herself already welcoming it.

Kamijou Touma was now running to not only save his life, but Wannai's too.

"We need to lose them," Kamijou said out loud, glancing between the possible routes he could use in order to achieve that and then entered an alley. "They are still right on our heels."

"I'm sorry, if you weren't carrying me, I'm sure you would have lost them by now…"

Kamijou smirked confidently, his gaze still on the road, causing the Tokiwadai student to look at him curiously.

"What are you talking about? You're very light, so I don't mind it."

His comment made her blush, or it was his handsome expression…? Handsome? Her blush deepened as she wondered why her mind came up with that word.

All of a sudden, those feelings and thoughts were interrupted abruptly.

Several gunshots echoed across the alley, the bullets impacting on the walls at Kamijou's sides. The thugs were now serious about not letting them escape. Kamijou forced himself and increased his speed. To do it would tire him faster, but considering that they were now shooting at them, he had no choice.

The gunshots continued until one hit Kamijou in the back.

"Arg!" The boy grunted in pain as he lost his balance, falling to the floor together with the girl he was carrying.

"Ha! We got him!" One of the thugs shouted excitedly as maniacal laughs spread among them.

The piercing pain on Kamijou's back made his whole body tremble. His shirt was already feeling wet, meaning that blood was coming out fast. He was in serious trouble.

"Gintoki-kun! Gintoki-kun!" Wannai called out for the boy, who just remained on the ground, totally forgetting that it was not his name, still, the name was the only one she could call him by.

Wannai's hands were stained with blood when she tried to move him. The wound was letting out blood at a fast rate and she knew it would not take long before he fainted or worse.

Kamijou managed to stand up as he resisted the intense pain on his back and planted himself in front of Wannai as if he was an impassable wall. The girl was stunned upon witnessing the incredible feat. With that much blood coming out of him, how could he even be conscious, much less standing up to protect her?

"Gintoki-kun! Don't move!" Wannai stood up too. She couldn't keep seeing this, seeing him forcing himself like this. He did not know her, this was not his problem, but there he was, with a bullet wound on his back as he stood up with determination and prevented them from getting close to her.

The boy looked at Wannai briefly; there were tears on her eyes ready to stream down her face at any second. His facial expression hardened, he was not going to let her cry for his fault, he did not want to be a reason that would make her cry.

He had to do something, however, he felt weak.

"You have to run… or else…"

Despite what he said, Wannai did not felt like moving. It was not fear that paralyzed her, it was the thought of leaving him behind, she would never forgive herself if she did that.

"Don't ask me to do that! I…" She stopped, and then, she made a serious expression. "I will not abandon you here! Like you did with me, I will not leave you!"

The boy blinked in mild surprise before the sound of steps directed his attention to the thugs that were just 1 meter away.

(If only… if only there was water I could use…) Wannai looked around the alley, biting her lip as she confirmed that her ability would still remain useless in their desperate situation.

"I'm sure that you will end begging for you to become my slave by the time I'm done with you, little hottie, hehehe," The leader of the gang said mockingly as he licked his lips in a way that could only be considered as repulsive.

"P-please! Let us go," Tears streamed down her cheeks as Wannai pleaded, her voice breaking. "He is going to die if I don't take him to a hospital..."

"Bitch! What do you think is the purpose of a pistol? Or any firearm for that matter?" The thug's smile twisted. "To kill, isn't that right?"

Suddenly… the boy moved.

Wannai could not believe it, neither the leader nor the other members of the gang when they saw it. A swift uppercut landed of the jaw of the nearest thug, courtesy of the carrier of the IB, which sent the surprised delinquent to the ground.

The girl watched in shock at the completely bloodied shirt of Kamijou Touma.

"Run! I will hold them here!" Kamijou shouted fiercely, giving another step forward.

"I can't leave you here!" She shot back. "I just can't!"

The boy was about to respond when a figure fell from the sky and landed lightly between the startled teen and the group of thugs.

The figure was in fact a girl with long black hair, wearing some sort of futuristic-looking black suit with grey, white and red details.

"What? Where did this bitch come from?" A tall thug commented in surprise.

The leader pushed himself through the other thugs, shoving them aside like nothing and completely ignoring the guy on the ground who he stepped on.

"Well, well… look what we have here?"

"You are all under arrest for causing harm to a citizen and illegally carrying and using firearms."

The leader crossed his arms in amusement. Her outfit did not match the usual uniform he had seen those from Anti-Skill wearing.

"Is that so?" He cracked his knuckles. "You are not from Anti-Skill or from those kids playing like cops, are you? So… You must be affiliated with some private organization, I suppose."

Shutaura Sequenzia, the commander of the Black Crow Unit lifted a hand to gracefully put her hair behind her ear before glancing at the boy behind her who was barely standing.

"You don't need to know," Her hard haze returned to them. "You don't deserve to know," Her voice was cold. "Surrender now or I'll be forced to use violence."

"Ooohh… Just you know, I happen to be the kind of guy that likes playing rough."

Laughter was heard among them, most already imagining what they were planning to do when they got their hands on her.

"I don't know who are you, but you two must get out of here…" A male voice resounded in the alley.

To Wannai's dismay and Shutaura's surprise, the wounded boy pushed the black-haired girl aside and stood once again in front of them, leaving Shutaura behind him.

The Crow Commander narrowed her eyes upon seeing the state of Kamijou's back. If that wound wasn't treated properly and the bleeding stopped, he was going to die for sure.

"Fool! You are not going to get anything by playing hero in that state! Only death if you continue your reckless actions!"

Kamijou remained silent.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 02

* * *

"I was meaning to let you bleed to death, but if you are that desperate, I will accelerate the process with pleasure," And after that, he eyed the two girls with perverse eyes, "After I'm done with you, we're going to have fun with the two hotties over there."

The leader cracked his knuckles, smiling wickedly as he moved towards the immobile teen.

Shutaura narrowed her eyes at the gang leader with disgust, there was no way the bastard was going to touch her.

Shutaura put on hand on Kamijou's shoulder to pull him backwards, but she could not move him. It was as if the boy was determined to stop them, to keep protecting both the girl and now her.

"Is that so? Bring it, I'm right here," Kamijou answered in a quiet voice that had an undercurrent of rage beneath it.

Shutaura found his willpower illogical. There were more of them, they had firepower and he was wounded. She tried to figure why he kept standing, what was his true drive. Was he just insane? Delusional? Did he want to act like a hero to impress the Tokiwadai girl or something like that? Shutaura couldn't comprehend it.

The way things were, this spiky-haired boy would simply get his ass kicked by them, so why did he act like he was confident about his situation? They were thugs accustomed to fighting and all that came with being a member of a gang while this boy was just a school student who probably only fought against other students like him. This was not just a school fight, delinquents attacked mercilessly, not caring if they caused fatal injuries on their opponents.

"Just stand back! I will handle this!"

He didn't respond, and it was too late.

The leader lunged towards the teen, sending a punch directed to hit Kamijou's face. Kamijou however did the unexpected and tackled the surprised leader to the ground, who did not expect him to go on the offensive.

The gang leader tried to move but Kamijou pressed his advantage and pummeled the leader, making him unable to react; punctuating the words he said with punches to the leader's face.

"You think. You can. Harm. Others. Just. Because. You can?!"

Kamijou dragged the disoriented leader up by his shirt collar.

"If you do, then let me show you the fist that will destroy that fucked up illusion of yours!"

Unexpected? Unbelievable? But still amazing. Those were the words that could describe what happened in front of two girls, one that was rescued by an unfortunate boy, and the other, who was supposed to rescue both teens but still ended being behind the same determined boy.

The leader was sent back to where his companions were when a powerful punch crashed in the middle of his face, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold in the process. Those in front barely managed to catch him when he crashed on them.

"Boss? Boss!? Kill that shitty bastard!" A gang member yelled.

The gang began to move towards Kamijou, who was supporting himself by leaning against a wall.

All energy having left him, Kamijou couldn't move and they were getting close. Still, his body was not responding and he was about to collapse at any moment.

A shadow passed over the head of the wounded boy, landing softly in front of him. It was the girl in the black suit again.

"I'll handle them; take him to a hospital quickly!" Shutaura commanded, glancing at Wannai over her shoulder.

"Y-yes!"

Wannai hurriedly walked to the barely standing boy, a feeling of nervousness building up inside her. She stopped just a few centimetres away from him and gathered the courage to speak.

"L-let's go… you need some medical treatment."

No reply was heard, causing Wannai to get closer in order to peer at his face while Shutaura fended off the thugs. She blinked in surprise as she saw the boy's face; he was already unconscious though still standing on his feet. Wannai remained stunned upon this rare occurrence before shaking her head to regain her composure.

"ARGH!" A thug cried out in pain as several kicks landed on his chest and the last one on his face.

Shutaura skillfully intercepted all intent on hitting her, and counterattacked accordingly, taking down the thugs one by one advancing on her position. Soon, the rest of the remaining thugs realized she was no pushover. They knew that at this rate, they were all going to be wiped out.

"Why are you two still here!?"

Wannai gulped after hearing the fierce shout of the black-haired girl, and her fear was further increased when Shutaura glared at her.

"I-I can't get him to move! He is unconscious!"

Shutaura blinked in puzzlement before realization hit her, making her sigh. She came to the conclusion that if she wanted to save the boy, she would need to control the situation quickly before it was too late.

"Bitch!" Shutaura returned her gaze to the remaining thugs; a gang member was pointing a handgun at her. "You will regret messing with us, fucking slut!"

A disinterested glance was the only response they got from the crow commander before she raised her left arm and pressed some buttons on her watch.

"As I said, you are all under arrest."

"We'll see how much you talk with a bullet in your skul-"

The end of his sentence was never heard due to the sudden noise that came from behind the group of thugs. Some sort of eight-legged black machine with an odd, yet futuristic design, blocked the exit of the alley from which they all entered making all the delinquents still conscious to pale.

"None of you will escape, of that, you can be certain."

The front part of the main body of Shutaura's mobile weapo**n** fuselage opened, showing four circular openings.

Wannai could not see very well from her position the odd machine but the faces of fear within them showed her that something was about to occur.

"Are those… cannons…?" One of them said in disbelief, his voice shaking.

Shutaura Sequenzia shook her head in a mocking manner.

"Not exactly cannons, or at least, not the ones that shoots bullets," Shutaura's smile turned evil, increasing the rising feeling of anxiety within the delinquents. "Though, they are going to get the job done regardless."

To their horror, some sort of metal claws were shot from the circular openings and directed towards them. These claws were linked to the central part of mobile weapon via thick grey strings.

The first claw got hold of the leg of one of them while the next grabbed the thug by his jacket. The last two ones seized two other thugs by their arms. Once the claws gripped them tightly, they were all dragged with incredible force in the direction of the machine.

A gang member's jaw dropped at the sight of four fellow members of his gang making a short lived forced flight, landing harshly out of the alley and behind the machine when the claws pulled them.

It was at this moment that the thugs realized that they were screwed. On the other hand, Wannai Kinuho knew that everything was going to be alright, and she hoped 'Gintoki' would be too.

**PART 9**

"Despite the blood loss, we managed to stabilize him, while removing the bullet successfully from his body. I can say for certain that his life is no longer in danger."

"So you are saying that he will recover… right?"

Wannai Kinuho asked shyly, truly worried about the condition of the spiky-haired boy.

After the black-haired girl and her customized **Crow Mobile Weapon** as she called it, easily took care of the rest of the delinquents, ambulances arrived together with two vans from Anti-Skill to arrest the criminals and save the life of a heroic teenager.

Wannai was deeply grateful to him, so she decided to watch over the boy as the ambulance took them to a hospital located inside District 7. In it, a doctor with an odd face that reminded her of a frog, though she would never say it because it would be just disrespectful, attended her injured savior.

The level 3 Tokiwadai student waited expectantly to hear the reply of the doctor, who spoke after reading some papers he had on a clipboard.

"He will be fine," He responded with a little smile, bringing one to the girl's face too. "After all this time, he continues to be as reckless as ever," The doctor sighed. "He'll never learn."

Wannai blinked in confusion after hearing the doctor's comment.

"Um… you know him, doctor-san? You talk like you do," The girl looked at him directly in the eyes, causing the doctor to slightly frown before sighing again. "Does he usually come to the hospital?"

The bald doctor put both hands on the pockets of his white coat as recalled all those times he had saved Kamijou Touma's life. The boy was usually admitted to the hospital due to knife wounds and bruises. In rare cases even broken bones and like today, gunshots that his body sustained.

At first **Heaven Canceller**, as he was known due to his exceptional skills as a physician but also benevolent personality, thought of Kamijou Touma as some kind of delinquent that got into a lot of fights, probably with other delinquents, but as the time passed, he eventually found out that the spiky-haired boy actually fought to protect people, and that he was… different.

It was worth mentioning that he pretty much knew about IB and all what it implied, just like his acquaintance, the **general director of Academy City**, **Aleister Crowley**, and eventually discovered that this boy held it.

Several times he was taken to the hospital by those he saved and vice-versa. When he brought someone who was seriously injured, he remained in the hospital to accompany the wounded person until his/her health was no longer at risk.

Heaven Canceller could affirm that Kamijou Touma was a strange lad, but a good person nonetheless.

"Indeed," The frog-faced doctor finally replied after his mind returned to the present. "He drops by… More often than I'd like…"

Wannai Kinuho widened her eyes in shock.

"Does… does he always come in the same state?"

"To be fair, gunshot wounds are rare, even for him…" Heaven Canceller put a thoughtful hand on his chin as he thought about the times when Imagine Breaker appeared in his office, scratching his head and then asking him to save the life of someone he brought with him. "Most of the time it's just bruises and cuts."

Wannai frowned as her mind contemplated the implications of this revelation. There just could be many ways to explain the reasoning behind the boy's actions, however, among those possible explanations laid a definitive truth, a bitter truth, a truth that disappointed her deeply.

Wannai Kinuho realized that the boy who she called Gintoki, protected her because that was something he always did, because he was someone that cared for others and she was not an exception to this rule, hence the reason for his intervention when those thugs intercepted her.

He saved her because that was the right thing to do, not because he found her special or anything.

Honestly, it was a sad truth, but it only made her feel more respect towards him.

"I suppose I should stop asking this whenever he is brought by a girl but… are you his girlfriend?"

"Eh?"

Wannai blinked twice, stunned when the doctor suddenly asked her that question. It didn't take long for her face to become extremely red.

Many times she had heard her classmates talk about dating boys and even having boyfriends but truthfully, it never became a subject she was interested in simply because she never had a person she liked.

"No-no-no! He just…"

"Helped you?" The doctor continued. "He doesn't really listen to me when I tell him to stop being careless so I thought that he would listen to his girlfriend, that, if he has one."

"I'm not that luck-" The girl stopped herself from finishing that sentence, putting both hands to cover her mouth. She could not believe what her lips pronounced, what her mind had subconsciously thought.

(Hmm… all the girls make similar reactions… interesting…)

Heaven Canceller mused.

"He is not! He is not!" Said Wannai with a rising tone, realizing that she was overreacting as she spoke, still, she couldn't help herself. "He is… not my boyfriend…"

The doctor was startled by her sudden outburst that ended almost instantly. In the end, her voice lost its volume until it completely faded, her gaze fixated on the floor.

"You don't need to repeat it, I believe you, young girl."

Wannai put both hands down and gripped her skirt tightly as she found herself unable to raise her gaze, she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"I suppose you will still be here until he regains consciousness, won't you? I actually would recommend you to return to your dorm to rest, you look tired. Besides, he is not waking up any time soon, that I can assure you."

Wannai nodded, she was kind of planning to stay in the hospital until Gintoki woke up, but she had to return to her dorm before the **Tokiwadai Dorm Manager** punished her for not respecting the designed curfew.

Now that she thought about it, the sky looked a bit dark, so she took her phone out of a pocket from her skirt and opened it, only to reveal that the hour marked 6:23.

"It's…! It's late!" The brown-haired girl yelled, the tiny object almost slipping out of her hands. "I-I need to go! Please, watch over him."

Wannai bowed in a respectful manner and dashed out of Heaven Canceller's office.

"Wait! What should I tell him when he wakes up?" The gero doctor shouted, however it was to no avail, the girl was gone. "Teens these days…" The doctor sighed as he walked out of his office when he noticed a presence in the corridor, a black-haired girl with an odd suit supporting her back on the wall with arms crossed and eyes closed. "Hmm…? You're still here?"

The girl nodded, opening her eyes and directing them at him. "What's his condition?"

"The bullet has been removed, and the bleeding has been stopped. He would just need to rest to recover… He was lucky that you brought him to me before it was too late."

Shutaura raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"He looked pretty bad, but he is already out of danger? You sure got some skills."

The bald doctor snorted before turning around, turning his back to her.

"Who do you think I am?"

**PART 10**

"But onee-sama! This case is too dangerous! That attacker is too dangerous! Even if you are the Ace of Tokiwadai, I will not allow my onee-sama to get into this kind of trouble!"

Misaka Mikoto rolled her eyes upon hearing the ramblings of her underclassman and roommate, Shirai Kuroko, over the phone.

"Of course I know it's dangerous, but to let that criminal keep attacking and even murdering people, I just can't sit with my arms crossed and do nothing!"

Kuroko knew that her one-sama's intentions were good, but to put herself in such danger, there was no way Kuroko was going to let that happen.

"M.A.R. is also helping Anti-Skill and us so we'll eventually catch him… or her or whatever. Just be more patient, please."

(Multi Active Rescue is helping? Well, that surely improves things a bit, but still…)

Mikoto sighed, she had to do something and she couldn't be patient, not when the criminal still roamed the streets with no one stopping him. She also had a possible suspect, the boy with spiky hair.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 03

* * *

She found him pretty close to the crime scene, with blood in his hand no less, acting suspiciously and he even lied when she asked him about the murder that just occurred. His excuse was that he found the victims and called the police but decided to hide because he was scared.

She did not buy it, this could not be a coincidence, yet she couldn't just blame him as the one behind those attacks, she needed more evidence, real evidence that would prove that he was the perpetrator.

That's why she's been doing her own research about the case, reading Judgment's reports without Kuroko's consent and hacking Anti-Skill's database.

Mikoto discovered a profile of the suspect, a young boy apparently with brown hair and green eyes, who wore a green bracelet and a weird tie… but that was it? That was all the intel gathered by them until now? At least they had a face to work with but she couldn't believe that this was all they knew. The testimony of the two victims that managed to survive didn't help much, only giving not-proven theories about the attacker being an esper.

That boy did not match the profile she found about the attacker at all, it appeared that her suspicion about the spiky-haired boy was misplaced… but was it truly? What about if she saw this from another point of view? If the authorities didn't know anything solid about the attacker, why assume it was only one person? For all she knew, that suspicious boy could be an accomplice, helping the killer to accomplish his attacks and then acting like a passing person who happened to have found the victim, by thus, removing any kind of suspicion directed towards him.

Whatever it was, Misaka Mikoto had to keep digging.

No matter what Kuroko said, they were not advancing in the case. More victims were appearing and there were not getting close to catch the criminal. She had to do something to apprehend the attacker or at least help in some way.

"I can't be patient! Girls are being killed, Kuroko. I can't turn a blind eye about it… You surely understand that, right?"

Kuroko bit her lip, unable to respond to her. Her onee-sama had always showed a keen sense of justice, all those times she had intervened in Judgment's and even Anti-Skill's cases to just help them was proof enough.

This, among other reasons, was why Shirai Kuroko admired her, respected her… well not when her onee-sama was bathing but… she knew very well that Misaka Mikoto, the third-ranked level 5 esper was someone that you could rely on, her resolve when it came to protecting or helping anyone was unshakable and sincere.

"I… I just don't want onee-sama to get hurt…"

Mikoto widened her eyes upon hearing Kuroko's sad voice from the cell phone, making her feel a bit mad with herself. She did not mean to make her best friend worry, she hated making Kuroko sad, but what good was being one of the strongest espers in the city if she couldn't use her power to help, or in this case, stop that damn bastard.

A sympathetic smile spread across her lips, one that Kuroko would have loved to see. It was then when Mikoto sighed inwardly before putting a cheerful face.

"Don't worry, Kuroko. I will be extra careful."

"If... if you say so, onee-sama..." Kuroko grabbed her phone as if she was her beloved Mikoto. "Call me if anything, even the tiniest thing comes up, OK? I will appear there as your sexy knight in shining armour and save you from anything… and then I will take you to my castle and I will do a lot of lewd stuff to yo-"

Mikoto closed her cell, ending the call, her face a bit red.

"Idiot…"

**Between the Lines 3**

It was a windowless room.

No doors, no corridors, no stairs. There was simply no way to enter it, although there were a few exceptions, like being called to this place and gaining entrance, or… if you were a level 4 teleporter.

* * *

A certain pig-tailed girl sneezed violently, the documents she was reading being stained by a green liquid. She yelled at herself and scratched her head like a mad girl.

* * *

The purpose of this windowless isolated room was to actually work as an impenetrable stronghold that was under the protection of a building that easily surpassed that of a nuclear shelter.

The almost empty room should have been dark, but the walls and ground were filled with yellowish starry-like lights, and a lone cylinder stood tall in the middle, emitting the strongest source of light in the room. The walls that surrounded the room were not normal because they were all covered with numerous screens, flashing buttons and equipment of all sorts and sizes, hence the lights. Thousands of cables and tubes spread through the room, gathering around the aforementioned cylinder as if they were its blood vessels.

The cylinder was ten meters tall and its diameter was 4 meters wide. The cylindrical container was made of reinforced glass and filled with red liquid, which actually was a weak alkaline recovery fluid.

Inside it, a long silver-haired man wearing a green surgical cloak was floating upside-down.

To describe him was something hard to accomplish because he looked masculine, yet feminine, young, yet old, pure, yet corrupt, leaving one with a doubt, what word could describe him?

The answer was simple.

The only word anyone could truly use for him was… **Human**, yes, to try other descriptions would just end in a waste of time.

The **Human** was actually smiling, something that rarely occurred.

"That was close…" His masculine, yet feminine, young, yet old, pure, yet corrupt voice resounded in the large room. "But interesting nonetheless…"

A man who faked his death in order to start anew, the strongest of his Kind who simply decided that the **ROAD** he had taken would not lead him to accomplish his true objectives, so he gave up on it, and by doing so, earning the hatred of more than half of the world.

As **Human** would be the word to describe his appearance, there was other that could describe what he was.

**Traitor**.

A word that almost cost him his life, yet his savior, Heaven Canceller, took him as his patient and saved him, also introducing him to a new country. However, Aleister Crowley was declared as deceased in December 1 of 1947 for the sake of the world and his plan. Now, he found himself inside this life-support system designed by Heaven Canceller with a weakened body that was maintained by it.

Aleister Crowley could literally affirm that his life depended on science, and he could also say that 50 percent of his plans depended on it as well, if not for the fact of the existence of a mysterious power that resided inside the right hand of an unfortunate boy.

On a side note, it had to be mentioned that this **Human** was actually the founder of Academy City, alongside Heaven Canceller. Aleister Crowley was the **Board Chairman** and the responsible of the creation of the most advanced city in the world, with 2.3 million of esper residing in it. He had control of an army that could declare war to the world. And yet, to do that was not his aim, merely an available method.

The entire world would tremble if Aleister Crowley found it necessary.

"An intruder… hmm…" The **Human** mused as he monitored the communications channels before directing his attention to the intel gathered by UNDER_LINE.

**UNDER_LINE** was Aleister Crowley's personal information network composed of minuscule machines spread all over Academy City, which served as the sole direct and trustworthy line of information to the **Windowless Building,** where the Human resided. The building was located in School District 7.

These spherical machines floated on the air and used the air's convection to generate their own power and gather data indefinitely through quantum signals that they produced in order to transit over a direct electron beam to pass information between them, thus creating the UNDER_LINE network.

"What's her purpose, I wonder?" His stern voice asked; obviously, it got no reply. "Vár will not get her anything… unless…" An image appeared in the darkness, revealing a document related to **Norse mythology**.

The document showed details of an old poem, and a certain part caught his interest..

_Then said Thrym,_

_the Thursars's lord:_

_Bring the hammer in,_

_the bride to consecrate;_

_lay Miöllnir_

_on the maiden's knee;_

_unite us each with other_

_by the hand of Vör_

"Vár, Thrym and the Valkyries… This will get complicated…"

Aleister opened more files related to the content of the poem. His smile returned once again upon reading the following text.

_She listens to people's oaths and private agreements that women and men make between each other. Thus these contracts are called varar. She also **punishes** who break them severely._

"If you are planning what I think you are, then this is going to be quite troublesome. I will make use of her again if that is the case."

Another text caught his eyes.

_'Wise Var of wire makes me sit unhappy. Eir of mackerels' ground takes often and much sleep from me.'_

"Now…" A voice that was masculine, yet feminine, young, yet old, pure, yet corrupt resounded in the large room. "What are you going to do, Imagine Breaker?"

**PART 11**

Intense bluish-white sparks flew everywhere, as a scared girl was on the floor unable to move and another that stood before her as if to protect her from an enemy. The location of this sudden event was in a certain park in School District 5.

"Who are you!?" asked Misaka Mikoto to the enemy, an unknown, yet dangerous individual.

"I suppose there would be interference this time."

A girl with red eyes and dark blue hair said with an odd, yet intimidating gaze. She wore a black sailor uniform with a red ribbon tied in the middle. This was the first time Mikoto saw this uniform, making her wonder what school she belonged to.

"Are you the one behind these attacks?" Mikoto asked fiercely, more sparks moving across her skin.

The girl who was addressed simply leaned her head in a weird manner, and moved her hand that was holding some sort of red lasso divided in three long parts.

"No, but I won't let you intervene in them either way."

Mikoto narrowed her eyes at her response. The mysterious black-haired girl was clearly demonstrating that she had a connection with the attacks, whether she was the direct perpetrator behind them or just an accomplice.

"I guess I will take you as a friend of the real attacker then. I will make you spit the answers through shocks if you don't tell me what you know."

The warning was simply ignored as the creepy girl looked at her with disturbing crimson eyes, her long hair moving up and down suddenly as if it was floating, her clothes were also moving. Mikoto suspected that she was a wind user upon witnessing that phenomenon.

"You are my enemy, and a strong one at that. Still…" The creepy girl began to float all of a sudden, the atmosphere becoming quite oppressive around her.

Mikoto readied herself, she had no idea who was she or what she was about to do, nor her level. The only thing clear to her was her strange **red lasso** that appeared to be moving by itself as if she was controlling it with her mind or eyes. She could not let her guard down.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 02

* * *

"I will destroy you…" The unknown enemy said, and finally, it began.

The floating three parts of her lasso became one and moved at abnormal speed, heading towards Mikoto's direction. The Electromaster side-stepped and avoided it, however, the lasso stopped before advancing much further and tried to grab the surprised girl, who used electromagnetism in order to pull her away from it by using the nearest metal lamppost.

(What the heck is that thing? It's like its length increases and decreases at will… Is that girl actually controlling it with Telekinesis or something? I thought she manipulated the wind currents.)

The lasso, which was divided in three parts at the end, returned to float around its holder like some sort of shield, causing Mikoto to widen her eyes in bewilderment as she returned to stand on the ground.

(Just what is that thing made of, exactly? It must be some kind of advanced weapon.)

Mikoto recalled in that moment one of the reports she read about the attacker, some observations mentioned him as a possible telekinetic user like she suspected, thought they also suspected that he could be a mind-controller.

If that girl in front of her was an accomplice, it could be that she was the telekinetic user and the real attacker the mind-controller then. She needed more information! Just… who was she?

"What is your purpose!? Why are you killing people!?"

"You would not understand my purpose… and the killing part is not on purpose…" The girl responded, the red lasso taking a solid form that looked like of a lance. "Though, he enjoys hurting them so… it can't be avoided."

Mikoto gritted her teeth in impotence. It was now crystal clear that she was an accomplice of the killer, so she needed to capture her. Until now, this occurrence was the only chance that could get Mikoto to find the killer and she was not going to let that opportunity slip away.

Mikoto turned around and glanced at the crying girl still on the ground, who she saved before that strange lasso grabbed her. "You must get out of here! This place will get more dangerous!" Mikoto glared at the crimson-eyed girl. "Call Anti-Skill, I will take care of her!

The short-haired girl nodded and stood up, running away as fast as she could. The would-be victim, a Tokiwadai student, was grateful that Misaka-sempai appeared just before that mad girl did anything to her.

As the girl left them, Mikoto raised a hand, intense lightning concentrating in it. The unknown girl's expression changed to a serious one, an esper of the highest level that manipulated electricity, she never thought of meeting her, much less facing her in combat, but she had to accomplish her task and complete the ritual.

Fighting the so called Railgun was an unwanted occurrence. The crimson-eyed girl knew she would lose easily to the Railgun if she fought now, and to use Ragnarok was not an option at this moment. To say that she 'would destroy her' was obviously an empty threat.

Even as a capable Magician, **Elise Anderson** would not win against a level 5 esper from Academy City.

Elise just had to buy him some time until the mission was completed while she distracted the Railgun and everyone who could be close. Their movements in the city had been compromised somehow, so they needed to carry out their task as fast as possible.

"Come on, Railgun. Let's have some fun."

Mikoto frowned. "You know me, I guess… It will make things easier. If you know who am I, then you are aware of what can I do, right? You better surrender before I fry you."

"Give me your best shot."

Without wasting a second, Mikoto sent a high voltage current towards the magician. The lasso lance intercepted her attack and spun around in front of Elise, creating a shield that effectively stopped the lightning-base attack.

Mikoto was stunned upon seeing the lasso doing something like that. What kind of technology was used to achieve the creation of that thing, seriously? What's worse was that it managed to stop her attack.

"You certainly carry an interesting thing with you. What is it?"

"Are you seriously asking me to tell you what my weapon is? Sorry, but I would prefer to hold the element of surprise for a bit longer."

Mikoto created an arc of lightning that crashed on the swirling lasso of her opponent. This time, it took a bit more time to dispel the lightning. The Ace of Tokiwadai also noticed the strain on the black-haired girl's face when it stopped her attack. It seemed she controlled the lasso with her mind, and using it as a shield to block Mikoto's attacks caused her some effort. The brown-haired ojou smirked, she hasn't even started.

Elise moved forward, taking the offensive this time, as her red lasso took the form of a lance again and flew towards the esper with the intention to kill. Mikoto ducked underneath it and sent more lighting at her.

The magician threw herself to the side, avoiding her attack, but the lasso lost its current form and returned back to her. Mikoto realized that her opponent needed concentration in order to manipulate that weapon, so if she kept attacking, the lasso would be useless. Even if she used it as a shield, Mikoto suspected it would not work indefinitely.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 04

* * *

Misaka Mikoto would just push forward until her opponent was worn off or struck by her lightning.

Of course, Mikoto did not expect the lasso to split into the three different parts instead of moving as a whole as it previously did.

Elise smiled mockingly, her lasso moving at high speed from three different directions, all aimed to pierce through the head of her enemy, however, it was too soon for her to assume that she had the upper hand.

Misaka Mikoto pulled all nearby benches and blocked the three attacks, dashing out of danger as soon as she noticed that the benches were not going to hold up much longer. A few seconds passed and the shield was cut into pieces by her opponent's weird but powerful weapon.

Mikoto remained unharmed while Elise looked a bit tired. She was reaching her limits, fatigue building up slowly in her body; without a doubt, controlling the magical weapon named after the powerful **Nordic sorceress Grimhild** was taking its toll sooner than she had expected.

Mikoto avoided more strikes, ducking beneath them and using electromagnetism to keep herself out of harm's way before sending a strong beam of bluish-white lightning towards the Magician. This time, Elise did not block it, instead, she moved out of the danger zone by using her lasso on a nearby tree to pull herself to avoid it.

"How much longer can you keep up with me?" Mikoto taunted, resuming her advance towards her opponent. "Give up already before I really hurt you!"

The remaining metal pieces of the destroyed benches moved at Mikoto's side as they intercepted more attempts of the odd weapon of causing her harm while getting closer and closer to Elise.

The magician stepped back as she tried to fend off the Railgun but it was futile, those floating pieces of metal prevented any offensive movement of her weapon. At this rate, Elise would have no other choice; she would have to activate it.

There was no going back if she did that, her mission was far from being completed so she could not do it just yet. Suddenly a voice spoke in her mind.

[Elise! I'm trouble here! Get your ass to me this instant! This dude is going bloody crazy and there is this group that is attacking us!]

The magician blinked in surprise, they were supposed to be handling the girl while she confronted the Railgun. What happened?

[Who is attacking you!? Dammit! Can't I leave you alone for even a single moment?] She answered through her mind. Both were using the **Bound spell of Vár** cast before separating in order to communicate mentally.

[They call themselves the Black Crows or something… Someone had destroyed our cover.] The voice became desperate. [You know that, don't you? Now everyone can see us! Even the cameras!] The male voice resounded in Elise's mind.

[At least you retrieved it, right? We won't find any descendants of the Valhala's Valkyries just anywhere! We were lucky we found the last of them in this disgusting city!]

Before Elise could hear a reply, a thunderous roar ripped through the sky as a big current of lightning appeared over her head. Her distraction made the magician forget her current situation and it would cost her dearly.

Even as her lasso moved to create a shield, it was too late. The electricity reached the magician's body and spread all through it. Intense sharp pain was what the crimson-eyed girl felt until the electric shock ended.

Mikoto waited, smoke floated up from her opponent's clothes as she remained on the ground after receiving her lightning attack. The level 5 esper was sweating a bit, maybe she went a bit overboard with that attack.

Elise suddenly stood up, burns visible across her body as she glared at her.

"That was not fair… I was talking with someone…" The creepy girl muttered.

"…?" Mikoto blinked as she glanced around. "With who? I don't see anyone around here…" She widened her eyes as realization hit her. "Are you telepathically talking with someone?"

"Shut up! That hurt a lot bitch!"

"Hey! It's your fault! Who would talk to someone telepathically in the middle of a fight? Sorry if I didn't realize that you talking, idiot!" Mikoto's tone became sarcastic before resuming its seriousness. "Now give up and talk! Who is the killer and where is he!?"

Grimhild moved violently and headed yet again towards Mikoto's position. The Railgun jumped back and sent more metal pieces to block a new attack, but the three strings of the lasso stopped in middle air and pierced through the ground. Elise smirked.

"What are you trying to pull?" Mikoto observed cautiously the ground beneath her, the weapon was moving underground. She began to run; just standing still would make her an easy target for those things.

The strings soon emerged at close locations of the Tokiwadai girl. Mikoto avoided one part of the weapon while she threw a spear of lightning towards another, but the last one enveloped her left leg and pulled her upward.

"Whoa!"

A giggle escaped from Elise's lips as her enemy was hanged upside-down from her limb, revealing white boxers instead of the usual panties any girl should be using.

"What's this? Shorts…? Really…?"

"S-shut up! It's not your business what I decided to wear! Let me go!"

"If you insist…"

The lasso holding Mikoto shook her violently before crashing on the ground together with the brown-haired ojou. The brutal hit made her entire body hurt before the lasso pulled her up again.

"Nope! I changed my mind. I love seeing you like that," She smiled darkly. "How about we add a little more pain to your body."

"Grh! W-what!?" Sparks flew from Mikoto's bangs as she tried to remove the string holding her leg.

Elise raised a hand in front of her face, a red circle appearing in the back of her hand.

"Darksome night and shining moon, hearken to the Snake's rune. By the power of land and sea, be obedient unto me. King of Hell, King of Snakes, send your hate unto the spell. Scaled Hunter of the night, work my will by magic rite and unleash the pain upon my enemy!"

Mikoto did not understand a bit of what the girl muttered but suddenly, her whole body began to ache terribly. Every single part of her being ached, the pain was unbearable.

"Argh! What is this!? Stop!" Mikoto screamed in agony. What's causing this!? Some kind of drug? Her eyes moved to the string on her leg. It had become purple for some reason and the zone of her leg that was enveloped by it was taking a bright red color. "That thing's causing it?"

Mikoto was desperate, she never felt such intense pain in her entire life and it was driving her crazy. She had to do something before she fainted due to it.

Elise giggled as she observed the Railgun, one of the strongest from the science side screaming in despair. She had won, she didn't think she would do it but she defeated a level 5 esper.

Nevertheless, to underestimate Misaka Mikoto and claim victory over her this quickly is one of the dumbest things someone could ever do.

Mikoto opened her hand, the wind blew fiercely and black sand began to float from every part of the park, causing Elise to frown.

By using her magnetic powers, the electric shock user gathered Iron sand and concentrated it in her hand. The Iron sand soon moved to the string that held her leg and cut it much to Elise's horror.

Mikoto fell to the ground after breaking free while the iron sand dispersed.

"What the hell was that?" Elise said in disbelief.

"Are you seriously asking me to tell you what my secret weapon is?" Mikoto repeated mockingly almost the same words her opponent gave her some minutes ago. "Sorry but I will keep the element of surprise for a bit longer."

Mikoto could finally breath, with the lasso off from her, the pain disappeared instantly like it was magic, but hell… magic did not exist. She smiled inwardly at the ridiculous thought she just had.

The black-haired girl gritted her teeth before turning around to run away.

Mikoto blinked in surprise and then shook her head. The only suspect was getting away; Mikoto just couldn't let her escape so she quickly gave chase.

"Where the heck do you think you are going!?"

The third-ranked of the level 5 of Academy city was already feeling exasperated. That annoying girl was pissing her off largely and her sudden escape made it worse.

**PART 12**

"What do you intend to do with this information?"

**Kumokawa Seria**, third-year student of a **Certain ****High school** and advisor, or more exactly, **Brain** of one of the members of the Academy City's Board of Directors, asked an injured spiky-haired boy resting on a hospital bed, whom she actually was quite fond of.

"Whatever I need to do, Kumokawa-sempai."

The girl considered a genius crossed her arms over her exceedingly voluptuous chest, hidden under her school-issued sailor uniform, her skirt longer than in other uniforms due to… some reasons in which the word 'defensive' held great relevance. Her shoulder-length black hair, fringe tied back was accommodated to improve her appeal due to the presence of Kamijou Touma in the room.

"As my kouhai, I can't let you take more risks… The director of our school informed me of your… accident and asked me to watch over you…" She glanced at two other girls present in Touma's room, whose presence bothered Kumokawa a bit. "You can thank her for that."

"She is right, Kamijou-kun…" Wannai Kinuho, a girl whom the boy had saved and also, a girl who asked a certain frog-faced doctor to inform Kamijou's school about the incident, said as she stood up from her seat in front of Touma's bed.

After the events of that day that lead Kamijou Touma to get shot by some thugs and then hospitalized, Wannai finally gathered courage to visit the teen at the hospital. Upon entering Touma's Room, the girl with wavy-brown hair was shocked to see that he had other visitors.

Wannai was stunned when she saw the leader of the largest and most influential **cliques** of her school inside the room, arguing with a girl with black hair from another school.

Why was **Shokuhou Misaki**, level 5, strongest **Mind Controller** of AC and **Queen of Tokiwadai** here?

While Wannai ignored it, the reason for Mental Out to be present on this room was because an elite of Tokiwadai and member of Shokuhou's clique, informed her about Touma's hospitalization, thus making 'Mental out' decide on visiting the unfortunate teen.

Then why would Shokuhou Misaki, level 5 and strongest Mind Controller visit this unfortunate boy?

There was just one honest answer: They shared a past together, they shared memories, and Shokuhou truly cherished those memories. Without them, the blonde would have probably become a force of doom but she didn't because he met him, he changed her selfish way of thinking… Ever since she met him, her goal was to become like him, a person of good morals.

Shokuhou Misaki, level 5 and strongest Mind Controller of Academy City admired Kamijou Touma because the boy became the foundation of her world.

Kumokawa Seria, on the other hand, cherished the boy because of the events that occurred some time ago that made her see him in a light she had never seen anyone with during her entire life. She was considered a genius, yet, Kamijou Touma had managed to fool Kumokawa in order to protect her from a dangerous threat that involved ********. Kumokawa still felt responsible for the anguish those events caused to the boy.

Kumokawa Seria, genius and brain of a member from the Academy City's Board of Directors respected Kamijou Touma because he showed her how to stand strong and firm on what her heart believed, not what her brain reasoned.

Wannai Kinuho would never know that the two girls present in Touma's room owned him their life, just like she did.

Wannai was greeted with an interrogation, courtesy of the black-haired girl, while the Queen just remained silent and observed her. She had to say that the girl from this other school was scary.

After answering some of the questions thrown at Wannai about the incident that involved both the sleeping boy and her, Wannai was asked to introduce herself by the intimidating, yet beautiful Queen of Tokiwadai.

During her introduction, the boy on the bed woke up, yawning as he stretched his arms. The three gathered around the bed and waited expectantly while the spiky-haired boy looked around his surroundings.

"What's going on?"

That question led to many others, as well as Wannai learning the name of her savior and vice-versa. Oddly, the boy seemed to ignore the Queen for some reason. Their conversation somehow ended in the subject of the recent murders, making the boy act really serious since it was mentioned.

Therefore, Kumokawa Seria ended up informing him about the current situation of the case.

The boy just scratched his cheek.

"Touma-chan… You can't possibly think of going after them," Reprimanded Shoukuhou Misaki, fifth-ranked Level 5 esper and acquaintance of Kamijou Touma as she leaned in towards him, putting a hand on the boy's bed. "I know it troubles you but you have not recovered yet. There is nothing you can do right now."

Kamijou Touma blinked at the sight of Misaki's amazing chest bouncing just before his face, before shaking his head and sighing. The boy averted his gaze from the Tokiwadai blonde-haired girl and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Mis—Shokuhou-san. I still don't understand why you are here. Have you forgotten that I did not want to see you?" The boy replied with a serious tone, making Shokuhou frown. "I appreciate your concern but please leave."

Shokuhou's heart hurt. His harsh words hurt. The blonde knew that she made a terrible mistake when she ******* and accidentally *********, but she was truly sorry. She apologized to both Touma and *********, but neither of them accepted her apology. Two months had passed since that event, and her dear friend with whom she shared her most important memories told her that he would never accept her as a friend again unless ********** accepted her apology first.

So far, nothing has changed.

(I should be enjoying this but… I kind of feel bad for her…) Kumokawa mused upon seeing Touma's dry behavior towards her… rival?

Misaki sat on the bed and put both hands over her legs, her eyes on the ground, looking quite depressed. However, Kamijou Touma was resolute to make her do the right thing because he truly cared for her and did not want his friend to commit the same mistakes again. It was painful to treat her so coldly but the boy knew this was for the best… At least, for the time being.

Kumokawa looked at Touma with a stern expression as she wondered if she did well by providing him the details of the current situation about the serial killer case.

A certain private security organization had found two suspects related to the recent murders, actually, one of them has been confirmed as the serial killer. Anti-Skill was on their way to district 5 to give support in the capture of both criminals that were resisting arrest.

The killer has been identified as **Himura Takeshi**, a student and level 0 that underwent several psychological therapies due to the detection of some mental disorders in his personality and other abnormal behavioural patterns. He went missing six weeks ago after one of his regular therapy session; the authorities found out later that he joined the armed group known as **Skill-Out**, a faction composed of thousands of espers, mostly level 0s, that carried a strong dislike towards high-level espers.

The other suspect's identity was still unknown but his profile matched the one from the gathered evidence. So far, it could be said that both of them were the criminals behind the atrocious murders.

"Anyway, thanks Kumokawa-sempai. Upperclassmen are really dependable, even knowing stuff about the serial killer case. High school girls like you are sure amazing."

Kumokawa was taken aback by his sudden praise, her cheeks getting a bit warm as she blinked. Misaki pouted while Touma's sempai scoffed as she regained her composure.

"E-ehem… I just happened to hear about it…" Kumokawa stuttered, earning a confused look from the spiky-haired teen and narrowed looks from both Tokiwadai students.

Wannai wondered how close this sempai was to Kamijou. Also, the leader of one of the largest cliques in her school seemed to be quite close to the boy that saved her. Though for some reason, he was being cold to the Queen, even when she talked to him kindly.

"Anyway, where are my clothes? I can't go anywhere in this hospital gown."

Shokuhou opened her mouth to speak but refrained in the end. Trying to change his decision was not an option now that he was determined, and he would not listen to her anyway because he was still mad.

"Kamijou-kun… you do realize you are just a student right? Why do you persist on doing such dangerous stuff? You almost died because of me…" Wannai gave him a sad smile. "There will be a day when someone will kill you if you keep doing this…"

"Like you said, I almost died, not died…" Touma replied, sitting on the border of his bed. "What if I haven't interfered when those guys ganged up on you? You would be the one on this bed, not me and I'm sure you would have ended in a worse condition."

Wannai gave no answer or complain because it was the truth.

"But what can you do?" Kumokawa asked worriedly. "What can you do to help? You are not even at full strength and they said this killer is a maniac with absurd speed and reflexes. You remember you are just a student, right?"

"It's only a matter of time," Commented Shokuhou as she stood up from the bed and walked to the door. "They will capture them with or without your help, Touma-chan."

"Maybe it is just a matter of time, but people are getting hurt, and if I can reduce in any way the number of injured people, then it will be worth it, even if I have to risk my life, this is what I'm going to do."

"But… you could die, Kamijou-kun…" Wannai's voice faded as the boy looked at her.

"Don't take me lightly."

Wannai averted her eyes after hearing his response; she couldn't meet his sharp gaze. A teen whose determination surpassed any kind of fear, including the one of dying. He was one of a kind, her admiration for him growing exponentially.

"What can I do, you ask?" Kamijou smiled fiercely, making a strong fist. "Destroy their illusions!"

**PART 13**

"Crow Leader? I thought Ladylee-sama ordered you to not participate in the retrieval of the bracelet."

An injured member of the Black Crow Unit addressed Shutaura Sequenzia as she stood in the middle of a parking lot painted with red.

"You think I'm going to stand around and keep watching my team get killed by that maniac!? Not a chance!"

"But Crow Lead-" Shutaura glared at him fiercely, silencing him.

"Enough!" She directed her hard gaze towards a disturbing sight. Large amounts of blood were all over the place.

Corpses of some of the members of the Black Crow lay unmoving on the ground with fatal wounds on their bodies. At some point, some of the corpses were gathered together, one on top of the other as they created some sort of twisted and nightmarish monument that could only be dedicated to a bloody **Monster**.

That **Monster** was actually present, sitting over the pile of bodies as he observed with disturbed eyes at the Crow Leader. There was no way to describe his face because half of it was hidden under a surgical mask that had an unsettling drawing of an opened mouth with monstrous teeth, making him look even more dangerous.

The Monster had short grey hair, wore a white T-shirt stained with the blood of his victims and black pants. His arms were covered with some bandages and his left hand held a short hammer, its claw dripping blood.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"I Am BorEd… WiLl YoU GiVE mE SoMe FuN?"

Shutaura lowered her head in disgust, her eyes hidden under her hair. The criminal behind the recent attacks to innocent people was in front of her, the murderer.

"I hope you resist arrest…" Her cold voice spoke.

She swore to protect AC, it was her goal, and it was her duty. To eliminate all threats was her mission, and this perturbing individual was certainly a threat, a dangerous one at that. This was the time to stop him.

"I WiLL iF yOu GIve Me soMe fUn! " A cheerful, yet creepy tone responded.

Shutaura raised her face and gritted her teeth in anger, drawing a knife from the sheath that hung on her hip.

He was not taking her seriously, he was mocking her and it pissed her off, not to mention that he had killed many members of her team. All his victims were brutally massacred and he did not feel any remorse.

"I will crush you!" The Crow Leader roared, taking an aggressive stance, her eyes sharp and full of hate towards her enemy.

She was not going to hold back this time, this bastard did not deserve any mercy, only death... and she was going to give it to him no matter what she had to do.

Shutaura lunged forward, with her knife ready to kill; a swift end to his life will have to do. Though, when thinking about it more closely, allowing him to bleed to death would be a better way of killing him, that if she managed to wound him without inflicting a fatal injury. He deserved to suffer for what he had done.

The **Monster** remained sitting on the corpses as he watched the black-haired girl coming at him.

A drop of cold sweat traversed down the face of the killer, and it made him feel ecstatic. An interesting person was coming for his life and it was exciting, his blood already boiling in expectation. How much would she bleed before dying? He wondered. Her screams of pain would surely become a musical masterpiece to his ears when he cut her, hit her, tortured her… he was already imagining in his mind her blood on his hands.

Shutaura jumped and swung the knife down, aimed to his skull, only to fail as the **Monster** blocked her knife with the hammer and pushed her backward.

The **Monster** whose name was Himura Takeshi, stood up and avoided the gunshots from the other Crows like it was nothing, startling Shutaura.

(How fast is this bastard? To avoid gunfire with simple movements?)

Shutaura stepped back to avoid the hammer crushing her face and back flipped to gain some distance. It was clear now how he managed to take down so many of her companions without receiving any hit or wound.

"Keep shooting!" Shutaura commanded as the **Monster** sprinted to the nearest Crow and sliced his throat in mere seconds, much to everyone's horror. "Damn you!"

Small disks made of **Rare Earth** were soon sent towards the killer, which were blocked with his hammer before some wires pierced them in that exact moment, all the disks exploding on his face. Shutaura smirked.

Using her esper ability **Earth Palette**, she detonated the disks by releasing the stored explosive energy in them through the use of rare earth elements. She could detonate any material made of these elements by just piercing it with her wires and using her ability.

The Black Crow Unit waited for the smoke to dissipate, but suddenly, something moved within it.

"Wha-?" A crow suddenly began to levitate and crashed into his companions with devastating force.

Shutaura blocked the attack from the **Monster**, who suffered several burns on his body. The surgical mask was no more on his face, finally showing the sickening expression he carried.

"Don't you realize how futile it is to resist? You will be captured!" Shutaura shouted to not only the **Monster** but also to a boy that just had used some kind of ability to throw away several of her companions.

The boy gave three steps forward and stepped over a crow member, earning a glare from Shutaura. He had brown hair and green eyes just like the reports mentioned, but also wore some sort of black school uniform, which was composed of black pants and shoes of the same color, a white shirt under a black blazer. The tie with a black and red squared pattern as well as a green bracelet was also present on his person.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" The brown-haired boy replied, smirking as more Crows were sent flying away for no apparent reason. "I thought we were screwed but, with that guy going berserk and my telekinesis, getting rid of you will be easy enough."

"Telekinesis? You are an esper?" Shutaura was startled, if he was an esper, the investigators should have found him in the database quickly.

"Indeed. I even took an exam to determine my level, and I happened to be a level 4," Shutaura could sense some sort of pride in his tone. "You may call me… ehmr… in japanese it would be… Teisō-gui."

"Such a despicable name…" Shutaura commented darkly. "So you underwent the power curr-?"

"Nope," He interjected. "I was born with my abilities so I did not undergo that thing, just some test that would indicate my level. I think they call my type Gemstones, isn't it?"

**Gemstones** were espers that obtained their abilities without an artificial method, such as **Academy City's Power Curriculum Program** or other procedures.

These Gemstones were quite rare, only 50 of them existing in the entire world.

"I see… Now I understand why our database could not find a match for your profile," Shutaura said as the **Monster** stood at the side of the telekinetic esper. "We don't have records of all the existing Gemstones."

In fact, she was wrong. That information was classified as SS, meaning that only the City Board of Directors had access to this intel. Of course, the one who decided what information could be accessed and what not was Aleister Crowley, Board Chairman of AC.

"What are you planning to do with the property of Ladylee Tangleroad? And why are you killing people?" Shutaura prepared herself for a possible attack as she questioned the criminals. "Whatever your plans are, they are going to fail, I promise you that."

"The killing is not part of the plan. Actually, it was for this... person's enjoyment," The green-eyed boy patted the back of the **Monster** whose gaze was concentrated on Shutaura. "To let him kill girls while preventing the authorities from finding him was his pay in exchange of giving us a hand."

"You slaughter innocent women for enjoyment? You are a fucking insane bastard!" Shutaura's roar was followed by several rare earth disks flying towards the criminals. "And you are no better for being his accomplice!"

Each disk was pierced with wires, each one them exploding in rapid succession. **Teisō-gui**, whose true name was **Alphonse Lauren**, British gemstome and Level 4 telekinetic user, dragged all the corpses close to him and created a literal meat shield, neutralizing the explosions.

"That was close, I'm sure that this guy won't be able to resist more of those explosions, and I'm not really willing to test my endurance against them."

"You…You bastard! How dare you use my comrades as meat shields!"

A black figure moved on the top of a building, green and white lights appearing on it. Shutaura's Crow Mobile Weapon as well as three-wheeled motorcycles appeared on the area, surrounding both Alphonse and Himura. Anti-Skill vans together with ambulances appeared behind them.

"Now this looks bad…" Alphonse glanced at the bracelet on his arm. "And this thing is totally useless! Where is that woman?"

His question would soon be answered when a red beam that came from the sky landed on the area where the law enforcement squads gathered. Upon impact, a huge explosion occurred, wiping out the Crows, Anti-Skill officers and their vehicles within the range of the explosion. The impact created by it sent Shutaura and everyone flying away.

"Well, well… it's about time don't you think?"

The gemstone commented out loud as a black-haired girl appeared before them with some sort of huge red arm coming from her back. A strong light came from the gem that was located in the middle of her black sailor uniform.

"Imbecile! Look at the chaos you created! Now I was forced to use the Oath spell sooner to save both your worthless lives!" The girl and magician Elise Anderson growled at the causal greeting of her companion as she walked to him.

"I AM getting BOreD AgAiN!" Himura lowered his gaze to the ground as if depressed.

"We need to move quickly, a level 5 is coming after me."

"Ha! And you called me an imbecile!"

Elise sighed and then glanced at her own outfit; there was no use in keeping the facade of a student of this city. The gem on her chest emitted a strong light, her school uniform transforming into an odd white blouse with red lines all over it and a dark red skirt with long boots of the same colour and a strap on her right leg. A purple ribbon materialized on her head.

"We still need the last Valkyrie's descendant. We have to find that girl and leav-"

"Stop right there!"

Misaka Mikoto's voice echoed through the parking lot, earning the attention of the three criminals responsible for the recent murders. Mikoto observed the area, the girl she was chasing was with two guys, fire spread through the many destroyed vehicles and several corpses around the area. That red beam Mikoto saw falling from the sky as she ran to this place must have been the reason for the destruction around her.

"You sure are an annoying little pest!" Elise growled as she stood in front of Mikoto, the red lasso she had before was not present but some transparent, yet shiny thing that came out from her back.

"What kind of ability is that?" Mikoto stepped back in surprise when her eyes met the weird thing protruding from her enemy and gritted her teeth. "That beam, was it you?"

The magician smiled wickedly, the thing on her back taking the form of a monstrous hand that grabbed the Anti-Skill vehicle like it was a toy and threw it at the unsuspecting Railgun.

Mikoto had no time to even articulate a word as she used her magnetism to pull another vehicle in order to protect her from the makeshift projectile, both vehicles crashing into each other with amazing force which even created a shockwave from the strength of the collision.

(What on earth is that thing? The lasso that took on another form? Or is it a rare esper ability?)

"Don't move! You are under arrest!"

Anti-Skill squads advanced into the parking lot, aiming their **SIG SG 551 SWATs** at their targets, as other law enforcers took the lead at created defensive walls with their riot shields.

"Kid, they are dangerous! Get away from them!" Was the warning sent to Misaka Mikoto by one of the law enforcer agents, but the girl ignored them as she prepared herself for a new attack.

"So they are your accomplices, huh?" The ojou's gaze stopped on a guy with a disturbing expression, stains of blood all over his not-so-white shirt as well as burns on his arms. "He… He is the killer?"

"Yes…" Mikoto yelped at the sound of a new voice right at her side, which made her fall to the ground.

"Ouch…" The electric princess whimpered when her brown eyes met black ones, a girl with an odd suit was staring at her, her expression startled. "You are…?"

"What are you doing here? I don't think it's necessary to say that this place is dangerous."

Shutaura Sequenzia said to the girl on the ground. Just before the red beam caused that enormous explosion, her customized mobile weapon dragged her out from the danger zone… barely.

"Well, I can take care of myself just fine," Mikoto mumbled as she stood on her feet. "I have the abilities to do so, and I will catch them with or without anyone's help."

White-bluish sparks jumped wildly from her bangs, causing Shutaura to raise an eyebrow in amusement. She had heard about one of the level 5 espers could manipulate electricity who went to Tokiwadai Middle School.

Could it be that she was that esper? The Railgun?

"Then let's see what you can do."

"Heh…" Mikoto smirked. "Just don't get in my way."

"The same goes for you."

Mikoto didn't know who this woman was, but she looked quite capable. Shutaura on the other hand wasn't even sure if the brat really was the **Electric Princess** she had heard about.

However, both of them had the same goal, which meant that they would have to work together, even if they were strangers to each other. To capture those criminals was their priority; failure was not an option.

Mikoto pulled multiples metal objects from the area as Shutaura entered her Mobile weapon. Elise narrowed her eyes and Alphonse smirked, both magician and gemstone knew that things were about to get nasty.

**PART 14**

"I'm here to help you, so be grateful!"

Was the spiky-haired boy imagining what he was seeing and hearing right now? Kamijou Touma found himself in a situation that could only be considered as ridiculous because of a mysterious girl he met on his way to a certain parking lot where a battle was occurring.

This brown-haired girl with matching eyes was cosplaying as some sort of witch, like the ones he saw as the antagonists on those Mahou-Shoujo animes. She wore long black stockings, a hooded black coat with a white line on the middle and a black skirt with two white lines. The most prominent aspect was the odd hat she used that strongly resembled the one witches used, and she even was carrying an old-looking broom.

She proclaimed to him that she was a powerful magician that would assist him in the capture of the people that were bringing chaos in the city.

Many questions and doubts emerged on the brain of the confused boy. To begin with, what was a magician?

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 05

* * *

"So em… you say that you are going to help me, right…? How exactly?"

Kamijou Touma asked reluctantly, it was a bit absurd to imagine this girl being of any help in his current situation. She looked like a witch, but it was not like she had any power because magic did not exist.

Or so he thought…

"I will help you track the magic essence of Vár's bracelet," She responded cheerfully, making a cute pose as she spoke. "By doing so, we will be able to find the people you are looking for."

"I already know where they are, though I don't know why you knew I was looking for them… Do you even know who I'm after?"

"Yes."

The boy scratched his head exasperatedly. Just who was this girl?

"How? This is the first time I met you as far as I know, and did I hear the words 'magic essence'? Moreover, what is that bracelet of Vár or something you mentioned? Man, you are only confusing me more."

"You will understand soon enough. It's not surprising that the residents of this city are not familiar with those terms, so your ignorance is to be expected."

Kamijou rolled his eyes, he wondered if she was delusional. Maybe she was acting out the TV shows in real life as if they were true. There was a word to describe this kind of person.

It was **Chuunibyou**, the **Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome**. People with this syndrome acted like a know-it-all adult, looking down on real ones, or believed that they had special, or on this occasion, magical powers unlike others.

"Well… whatever, I already know where they are," Kamijou responded with a bothered tone.

"Really?" The cute witch pouted, putting both hands over her normal-sized chest as if disappointed. "But, but… what if they go to another place before you get there? They possess a powerful magic spell called 'Ragnarok' that can activate the ultimate form of a magical Norse weapon and make it ridiculously powerful, the police of this city don't stand a chance against that."

"Wait, wait," Kamijou raised a hand to signal her to stop. "Hold on a minute! I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about. What do you mean by magic spell? Are you trolling me or something, because it's not funny!

"I'm not trolling you, Spiky lad!"

"Don't call me Spiky lad!"

"I'm going to call you Spike then, if you don't mind.

"I do mind! That's not my freaking name! It's Kamijou Touma!"

"Tou…ma?" She tilted her head to the side as Kamijou nodded. "I have heard some Japanese names before, but yours sure sounds weird."

"That's not polite!" The boy pointed out.

Kamijou facepalmed as he let out a sigh in resignation as he realized he was acting like a straight man in a comedy duo. At least he now knew that she was a foreigner by the way she spoke, she had this accent that made him suspect that she was not from this country.

"So you are basically saying that you can lead me to them wherever they go?" Kamijou sought confirmation, even though he didn't have much faith in her words.

"Yes! Follow me!"

The boy raised a stopping hand, again.

"Can I ask you something before doing anything?" The brown-eyed girl nodded. "OK… then tell me… Who are you and why do you want to help me?"

The self-proclaimed magician, whatever that is, blinked, her cheeks becoming slightly red.

"Oh… I haven't introduced myself yet?" She giggled nervously. "How silly of me… I am Isadora Sprengel, magician extraordinaire! You may call me Isa!"

"And you say my name is weird? Tsk…" Kamijou deadpanned while crossing his arms. "Anyway, why do you keep saying that word magician? What is a magician?"

Kamijou waited for a reply while the girl took her sweet time to answer.

"You seriously don't know?"

The boy once again accidentally did a straight man routine by almost face faulting.

"You took that much time to think to only give me that crap answer? Listen, as you seemingly know, I have to go and help capture those criminals. People have died because of them!"

"You don't have to yell… I'm aware of that. I will explain everything while we move."

Finally, something reasonable coming out of her mouth. Suddenly, something incredible happened.

"Come out you little imp! Time to do your job!" Isadora said playfully, taking out from her skirt pocket a shiny bottle. "Track Code: 773-11."

To Kamijou's amazement, a red light came out from the bottle and made its way to the ground just beneath Isadora. Upon touching the ground, the light fainted and a red shiny circle appeared all around her.

"Defining current location of the Magical object 773-11 within the leylines. Location…found," For some reason, her voice became a bit mechanical, which was a bit creepy. "Creating a spiritual link to the source… done. Azure eyes activated."

The boy stepped back when the red light shone with intensity and Isadora's eyes became bright red. A soft impulse came from here as she closed her eyes.

"What the hell is this?" The startled boy said in disbelief.

"Maintaining spiritual flow to object 773-11… Secured," The girl finally opened her eyes and to his relief, they were back to normal. "OK, I can see clearly the location of Vár, it's not far away."

"Stop, stop!" Kamijou waved his arms frenetically in mild confusion. "What on earth did my eyes just see?!"

Isadora Sprengel smirked bashfully at his question, as if she was expecting it.

"Magic."

"…Magic?" He deadpanned.

"Yes… magic," She nodded, her face taking on a prideful expression.

Kamijou stared at her blankly for a few seconds as his brain processed the information he just received. Silence surrounded them as he just continued to stare at her, then suddenly, his voice broke the silence.

"By magic, what do you… mean?"

Isadora furrowed her brows as she pouted, making Kamijou realize how cute she was.

"I mean magic!"

"Magic?"

"Yes! Magic!" She shouted exasperatedly, startling him. "True, powerful and diverse magic! Magic!"

Kamijou Touma narrowed his eyes upon hearing such nonsense, although he still tried to find a reasonable answer despite the absurdity of the situation.

"You mean like those tricks the people on TV and shows pull off? I don't think you can call that true, powerful or whatever. It has been proved that all that magic they claimed to achieve was only smart schemes made to deceive one's perception, or something like that."

The magician looked offended, clutching her skirt as she snarled at him. This boy just called the foundation of her world a trick. Isadora, being the grand-grand-grandchild of one of the founders of the most powerful Magic Cabals in history, obviously found the reasoning of Kamijou Touma as simply ridiculous and insolent.

"You call that magic? How old are you?"

"Old enough to know that real magic does not exist."

"It exists! I just cast a tracking spell in front of you!"

This girl was not making any sense, what did she mean by spell? Kamijou found himself unable to explain the rare occurrence that happened just some minutes ago but… that couldn't be real magic, could it? Maybe she was just an esper with a rare ability that could create lights or something, right?

"You can't be possibly serious, I mean, you are saying that supernatural magic exists? That's just crazy."

"Crazy is what your city had done by creating and training people with psychic abilities. Their mere existence denies the destiny that God had designated for this world."

"I'm not gonna argue about religion with you, or foreign religion in your case, but let me tell you this. I can't accept the existence of magic."

"…Why?" She stepped closer to him. "As far as I can see, you accept the existence of esper abilities, which are supernatural, yet you won't accept magic. THAT doesn't make any sense."

Kamijou scratched his head, crossing his arms shortly after. "Esper abilities are created by developing the human brain through the use of esperin that is injected to the veins, electrodes that are attached to the neck and certain rhythms that are played through headphones."

"So? What is your point?"

"You don't get it? The existence of espers can be explained with science, which is not the case with magic. The standard procedures used in order to create espers are scientific and had been proved, that's why I accept that kind of supernatural abilities… Tell me, what would be the point of developing psychic abilities if magic existed?"

"That's a good question! Why create espers if magicians existed? Sadly, there is only one answer to that."

"Which is…?" The boy inquired.

"Someone who lost faith in magic. Someone who was powerful with it, yet, he renounced it. Someone that chose science instead, thus creating the foundation in which your current believes had taken form."

"…You are basically saying that Academy City was created by someone who believed in magic or possessed it? If that is possible of course."

"Maybe…"

Kamijou scowled, she was not giving him a proper answer. He was beginning to think that she was truly delusional, which in this case would be good due to the implications that he could think of if the nonsense she was babbling about was actually true.

"You are only making me feel more skeptical about this, you know," Kamijou let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation… with a girl cosplaying as a witch! Just lead me to them; I can't afford to lose any more time."

Isadora sulked, glaring at him intensely as she tightened the grip on her broom. Apparently, his comment offended her greatly.

"Did you call me a witch?" Isadora questioned severely.

"…No? I called you 'a girl cosplaying like a witch'…"

"I'm not a witch" I am a magician!"

"Well… your resemblance matches greatly the one of a witch… And I still don't know what a magician is."

Her glare intensified, and it somehow made Kamijou gulp despite how cute she looked in that outfit.

"What makes you think I'm a witch? And you said you did not believe in magic, yet you call me a witch who is well versed in the chanting of dark sorcery, which in fact is magic!" She looked about to hit him with her broom at any moment. "How can you acknowledge witches and not magicians?"

"I only know of witches because of those books I've read as a kid, whose genre is fantasy, hence, NOT real. The black outfit, the witch hat and the broom are precise traits of witches in those fantasy books and even in some TV shows, and you just happened to have all those. Sorry if I mistook you as one, which I haven't in fact because I called you a girl cosplaying as a witch, not a witch!"

"You… you are so annoying!"

"I'm annoying? You got me into this senseless conversation!" Kamijou shot back, giving her a exasperated look before walking away from her. "I escaped from my room at the hospital for this? They are surely looking for me at this point."

Misaki nor his sempai wanted him to leave the hospital, so he went to Wannai Kinuho in order to do so. Although she seemed to be reluctant about helping him, she accepted in the end, something that turned quite unexpected considering that she also supported the idea of Kamijou remaining in his room resting. Not to mention his usual luck when he asks someone for help.

He did not know how Wannai managed to get both their attention as he left his room, considering that one of them was the strongest mind controller of AC and the other a brilliant student, considered a genius by most who knew her.

Kamijou also met a naïve nurse on his way out of the hospital who was kind enough to lend him his school uniform, which was clean but still had the hole created by the gunshot.

His goal was to reach the parking lot in district 5 where an unknown security organization found and surrounded the suspects of the recent murders.

As he was told inside his hospital room, he was just a student with no business in the capture of those criminals, a teen who should have been enjoying his life instead of getting himself in dangerous situations for someone else's sake. But… what kind of life could he enjoy knowing that people like those criminals walked free in the streets?

There simply was no way that he would stay put with his arms-crossed, ignoring those who needed help, letting others to harm innocent people. Despair was a sentiment Kamijou Touma would never want anyone to feel because he knew very well how bad it could be.

And now on his way to district 5, a cute witch suddenly appears before him and tells him magic exists?

The thought of believing in magic was just absurd, if not outright insane. It wasn't like she could shoot fire without being a Pyro, or see though things without using Clairvoyance, those lights Isadora created when she supposedly 'cast' a spell must have probably been some kind of optical effect created by an artefact of sorts or an esper ability.

"Where are you going? The bracelet is…" Lightning struck fiercely at a certain location, making Kamijou and Isadora look on in surprise at the sudden phenomenon. "That way…"

Kamijou Touma narrowed his eyes as he became more determined, that kind of lightning was not normal, and that meant trouble. Something was happening, and his gut feelings told him that it had to do with the criminals he was looking for.

The boy quickly dashed towards the direction of the lightning, ignoring the piercing pain he still felt from the wound on his back. Kumokawa-sempai was right about the wound, it had not recovered yet but he could not let it stop him, not now.

"W-wait! I haven't told you about the bracelet yet!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the boy just continued to run away, causing her to sigh. "Why do I have to look after him!? Damn you Aleister!"

After cursing, Isadora mounted her broom and began to magically fly on it. Maybe if the boy saw her now, he would believe in magic. She headed in the direction where the boy had gone.

**PART 15**

"You're a lot tougher than I had expected."

Misaka Mikoto complimented her enemy, who was barely standing by herself. Multiple burns marks spread across her body, smoke emerging from her clothes as she used the strange red shiny limb that came from her back to keep herself standing.

"Your power is too damn crazy! Don't you have any limitations?" Elise Anderson scowled, finally standing up by herself as she glared at the third ranked level 5. "You are a monster!"

Mikoto puffed her tiny chest proudly, smirking darkly.

"Monster? I wouldn't be so sure, considering that you are the one that has three arms, not me."

"Stop making fun of me, Railgun! You will regret it!"

Mikoto rolled her eyes at Elise's threat. The unknown girl had been a difficult opponent, but Mikoto knew that in the long run she would lose. It seemed that controlling that thing on her back required a lot of effort and it was wearing her off, though it improved from what her lasso previously did. Its speed, strength and applications as well as the distance it managed to move was greater, which truthfully made Mikoto sweat a bit, though it wasn't enough to stop a level 5.

"Huh… How about if we ignore that third arm of yours," She glanced at the far side of the isolated grounds in which they were at the moment, which lacked concrete or any building around its surroundings. "The only monster present here is that guy over there."

Elise moved her eyes to an unconscious person lying on the ground. Said person was the guilty of the murders, who received several electric spears courtesy of the Railgun when she found out that he was the killer, with a few more added when she discovered that he only killed his victims for his sick enjoyment.

Even with his speed, Himura could do nothing to stop the Railgun's wrath, nor could the magician. He wasn't as fast as lighting after all.

(Damn Alphonse… Where did you go? Haven't you defeated that woman yet?)

Elise Anderson, member of the **magic cabal** **Dusk Waiting to Awaken**, gritted her teeth in anger. When the fight against the Railgun and the woman in that weird machine began, the Gemstone that called himself Teisō-gui disappeared together with the black machine tailing him.

Elise feared that he had been defeated but the Bound spell still resounded in her mind, telling her that he was alive.

Anti-Skill and the rest of the Crows had the area surrounded, not interfering with the fight due to fear of the sky beam that the terrorist treated to unleash upon them if they interfered. Snipers were gathering among the tallest buildings that held enough vision of the area, which in fact were really far from where two girls were facing each other.

"So… tell me… Why did you let him kill those innocent girls? I don't know what is your goal, but to kill an innocent, that's just wrong and that psycho did it just because he enjoyed it!"

"We needed him, like he needed us. We gave him what he wanted because his skills in combat and knowledge of the city were essential to our plans. Those girls should be grateful, their sacrifice will bring balance to this insane world, their lives will achieve a greater good."

"What the hell you are talking about!? A death will never bring anything good to the world. Only grief and loss! How do you think the parents of those he had murdered are feeling now!?"

Mikoto's anger was growing exponentially, electric sparks flying in all directions around her. She never imagined that people that didn't give any importance to human life existed, people that were willing to kill in order to achieve their goals. She would never forgive them for this.

"The end justifies the means," Elise simply answered.

That was it. Masaka Mikoto would no longer listen to her words. She did not deserve any mercy; she let those murders happen, so she would not hold back. The brown-haired girl took from her skirt a coin while glaring at her.

"Then this ends now!" Mikoto roared.

A coin was thrown to the air; a minor shockwave came from the right hand of Mikoto. It was the moment to show why she was called the Railgun, her enemy would not prevail.

However, the desired result did not occur.

Mikoto blinked in shock as the coin reached the ground. She observed her hand, she could not fire the Railgun, what's worse, she couldn't even create a single spark. What was going on?

"Huh… Almost too late… As your prince, I have come to your aid my dear wife."

"Don't call me that!" Elise shouted instantly.

Green eyes met brown. The partner of Mikoto's enemy had appeared and was walking casually towards them. The law enforcers had the area surrounded, making Mikoto wonder how did he managed to get here? Did he beat them and that girl with the odd machine?

"Yo-you defeated them, right?" Elise asked, scowling at him.

"Who do you take me for?" Teisō-gui smirked, directing his attention to the Ace of Tokiwadai. "Don't worry, Railgun, I haven't killed any of them, so I hope you didn't kill my…" The gemstone glanced at Himura. "Partner…"

"He is not dead, though he should be for what he's done," Mikoto responded dryly.

"He should be, I guess… But you don't kill unlike him, nor do I…" Teisō-gui commented with an uninterested tone. "Anyway, I'm here to take my partners away."

"I will not let you!"

"Really? Come on! You already gave them quite a battering. Why keep complicating this situation?"

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 04

* * *

"No matter what you try to do, I will stop you. That's a promise I made for myself," Mikoto said darkly, glaring at him with such fierce eyes that could terrorize even the most courageous of men.

Alphonse Lauren smiled wickedly, raising an arm that held a black bracelet with shiny green patterns.

"!" Mikoto readied herself, it appeared that he had some sort of strange artifact as well, maybe with odd applications like the one of that girl, so she could not be careless. By the look of his eyes, Mikoto could tell that he was dangerous.

"As long as I am bounded to Elise by the oath of Vár, we will prevail," He chuckled slightly.

Vár… that was not the first time Mikoto had heard that name. The other girl also mentioned it, but what exactly was Vár? They kept talking about things she did not know about, which pissed her off even more.

"What is Vár!? An advanced weapon? Explain yourself!"

"There is no time for that, and you wouldn't understand anyway," The gemstone moved forward. "If you still insist on interfering, then you leave me no choice."

"I suppose you are the one behind my current lack of power, aren't you?"

The man that held Vár in his arm grinned. Could it be luck? No… he knew it was destiny. Since he discovered a certain function that he could give to his telekinesis, which Alphonse suspected he could control because he was a level 4, the gemstone knew that he was destined to face the strongest electromaster that existed in Academy city. Though he never expected that his so-long-awaited confrontation with her would occur during his first mission as a supporter of a magic cabal he was hoping to join.

If he succeeded, he would prove that even as someone that carried psychic powers, he could be trusted inside the magic side and become an enemy of the city of science. That was Teisō-gui's goal.

"Indeed Railgun…" He stopped right in front of her. "Your level is of no importance, because no matter how strong you are, as an electromaster, you are nothing to me."

Mikoto gritted her teeth as she tried to create electricity, but it was to no avail. Something was interfering with her control over the electrons, causing her to be unable to generate even the tiniest spark.

"That's cheating! How are you doing that!?"

Teisō-gui grabbed Mikoto by her neck with brutal force, gripping it to the point that she could not speak, or breathe for that matter.

"Insulation, an application I can give to my telekinesis. This ability interferes with the motion of electrons, making me capable of repelling any kind of electric-based attacks," He shook her violently. "Within the considerably large field it affects around me, the movement of electrons is interfered, preventing electromagnetic phenomena to occur such as any of your abilities. In conclusion, you are powerless against me."

"Gh...!" Mikoto tried to remove his hands from her neck but his grip was just too strong. At this rate, she was going to lose consciousness.

She kicked him on the chest, but it only made him grunt in pain, as his hands remained locked around her neck.

"Good! Even in your current condition, you still try to resist your defeat," His smile darkened. "Nevertheless, you will die, and I will be known for being the one who killed a level 5. While I would never stain my hands by doing something like this, your death will grant me entrance to the world of magic! I can't let this opportunity slip from my hands… or your neck… Hahahahaha! That was seriously funny! Though I doubt you get it."

Causing her death seemed like the best thing Teisō-gui could do to achieve his goals. Luck was on his side, and probably even god.

Elise averted her gaze from her weakened opponent, she felt ashamed for letting an esper save her life, but it was necessary. If Alphonse haven't appeared, she probably would have completed Vár's Oath and unleashed Ragnarok; there was no going back after that.

There was one last descendant of the Norse Valkyries she needed to find and completing that spell would have meant her end. She was ready to die, but not just yet.

Tears escaped her eyes as Mikoto still attempted to break free, but all strength was leaving her now. Was she going to die this easily? Was she that useless without her abilities?

She promised herself that she would stop the murderers the day her teacher announced that one of her classmates had been murdered, she swore to herself that she would catch the bastard who took the life of a friend but she was careless, she did not expect such an ability to be used against her and it would now cost her life.

Mikoto's hands finally stopped moving, her consciousness fading completely.

It was in that very moment that a hand grabbed the shoulder of the gemstone. Teisō-gui narrowed his gaze as he turned his face to look over his shoulder, wondering why Elise would… To his shock, it was not Elise.

"Let her go…" A spiky haired boy spoke with a strong voice before an uppercut connected with the chin of the brown-haired esper, making his whole body spin around before hitting the dirty surface.

Mikoto was finally free from his death grip as well; her body falling to the ground as she gasped for breath and coughed in pain. A few seconds passed as her mind was blurry and suddenly, she felt like sleeping.

The last thing her eyes saw was the back of someone standing in front of her, and then it all went black.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Now… who the hell are they?"

Alphonse Lauren, British level 4 Gemstone and supporter of an unknown magic cabal, asked in irritation as he grabbed his aching jaw.

Elise Anderson, British magician and member of an unknown magic cabal widened her eyes in shock upon recognizing the girl that stood behind a teen with spiky hair.

"I don't know who that lad is, but the girl is bloody dangerous."

Isadora Sprengel jumped forward playfully, her eyes glinting as she neared their position.

"Why, thank you! That's a very kind compliment," She said with a cheerful tone.

Kamijou Touma, unfortunate boy, carrier of the mysterious power called Imagine Breaker, couldn't tell if the girl at his side that was dressed as a witch was being sarcastic or really took that comment as praise. Whatever it was, he had more important things to be worried about.

"Who is the killer?" Kamijou asked with a monotonous voice.

"That guy on the ground is…" Isadora answered instantly, pointing her finger to a person lying unconscious close to them.

"I wasn't talking to you," Kamijou deadpanned as he glanced at her. "And how do you know?"

"More and more interferences! What the hell is wrong with the people around here?" The gemstone stood up as he glared at his new enemies. "Can't you mind your own business?"

"We need to get out of here now!" Elise shouted, her voice held detectable fear. "We won't win against her unless I activate Ragnarok, and the spell is not complete yet!"

Alphonse narrowed his gaze, raising a hand as several objects gathered around began to float; most of them were pieces of metal that belonged to some destroyed Anti-Skill vans.

"We will see about that."

"Watch out!" Kamijou shouted as she pulled Isadora towards him and ran away from the danger zone.

The metal pieces crushed all around the area, but thankfully, the level 0 esper and a self-proclaimed magician did not receive any harm.

"That was not necessary!" Isadora pouted as she gripped his shirt. "I can protect myself."

"I still don't understand why you have followed m-"

All of a sudden, the witch moved her broom in a circle, a whole Anti-Skill van crashed with an invincible wall around Kamijou and Isadora. The boy blinked as he tried to understand what just occurred before his eyes, and the only viable explanation that came to him was that she used an esper ability… right? It couldn't be the magic that she claimed existed; maybe it was some kind of magnetic field that could repel metal objects.

"That was rude! To attack us while we are distracted?"

Elise Anderson stepped back in fear. She knew that creating such a powerful barrier instantly without a proper chant meant that she used her knowledge from a grimoire. According that what some of her fellow magicians mentioned, the grimoire she controlled was the **Rauðskinna**.

**Grimoires** were books that contained knowledge about magic, like powerful spells and the like. However, they were harmful to all who read their contents due to the pure and incomprehensible information they held.

Only magicians with enough skill could read a grimoire and not suffer from its contamination, especially when the reader had the desire to propagate the information within them.

Rauðskinna, **the Book of Power**, was a legendary book written by **Bishop Gottskalk grimmi Nikulasson of Holar in Iceland**, famous between practitioners of **Galdr**. This grimoire held powerful and rare spells, which were of **Black Magic** nature.

It was said that Rauðskinna could make its reader master magic to such a degree as to control **Satan**, though it had not been proved if it could really achieve that. Nevertheless, the grimoire gave a magician incredible power and Isadora Sprengel, better known as the **Golden Witch** in the Magic Side somehow managed to control it without suffering from its debilitating effects.

Those who met her wondered just who she was. Why was she capable of handling such a dangerous magical relic? There were plenty of rumours about the so-called Golden Witch but only one of the greatest magicians in the world knew the truth about her, the magician by the **magic name** of **Beast666**.

"She destroyed plenty of magic organizations that opposed her Cabal by herself. The rumours even mention that she belonged to the Golden Dawn!"

Alphonse shook his head in shock because true fear began to materialize inside him. The name of **Golden Dawn** became quite known among those that were aware of the existence of the magic side. In the past, Golden Dawn, also known as **Stella Matutina**, was once the strongest and largest magical cabal in the **United Kingdom**.

"But Golden Dawn disappeared almost 50 years ago. How could a girl that looks no older than 16 be a member of the once all-mighty Golden Dawn?"

"Me? From Golden Dawn? Are you kidding?" Isadora tilted her head slightly. "Rumours… They even created such a mess in that Russian shopping mall… My poor Lessar suffered for that," The girl muttered. "I'm a Golden-style magician and I'm 17 years old!"

Kamijou Touma furrowed his brows; those three were talking about magic? It wasn't just the delusions of that girl? He didn't understand a thing about their conversation.

"That certainly does not improve our situation," The black haired girl commented. "Golden-style means that she belongs to its remnants, which is still equally bad."

And indeed it was. After the destruction of **The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn**, the remaining groups of gathered magicians developed on their own thanks to the Golden Dawn's Legacy and progressed, creating the **Golden-style cabals**.

"What are your intentions, golden witch!?" Elise glared at the other magician.

"Witch!? Who are you calling a witc-"

"Shut up! All of you!" Kamijou roared, earning the attention of everyone around him.

"I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about, nor do I care," He walked forward. "Your purpose, intentions, plans or whatever, I don't give a shit about them," Kamijou stood still, face to face with the gemstone. "But you have messed with my city, my people, INNOCENT PEOPLE! I found your victims! Tell me! Why do something as monstrous as that!? TELL ME!"

"I don't give a damn! You sure talk like you have business with us, huh…" Alphonse responded with a bored tone. "I'm sure you would not understand the reality of the situation you are in now, so let me warn you, return home and continue your pathetic and naïve student life. As you have seen by coming here, this is not a game. I defeated all the security sent to stop me, so what makes you think that you, just some random boy playing hero, can do anything to accomplish what they couldn't?"

"Nothing makes me think that, really. Nevertheless, you are still going down."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 06

* * *

"Then I'm going to rip you apart with my telek-"

Alphonse blinked in shock; the boy in front of him was not affected. The gemstone used his telekinesis but he couldn't lift him, it was like this unknown teen was some kind of unmovable object. Alphonse took some steps back in fear as his new enemy darkened his gaze, looking very intimidating.

"It's… it's not working? W-why?" The level 4 pointed his hand in Kamijou's direction to multiply the effects of his ability, though it was in vain. "Who are you!? What kind of bloody counter-ability are you using?"

Kamijou Touma glanced at his right hand before looking at the criminals he had searched for during the last few days. This was the time to finish this.

"Pghhohh!" Alphonse screamed out in pain due to a mighty punch he received in the stomach, followed by a punch on his face.

The telekinesis user stumbled back but managed to regain his balance by putting one foot back. Blood dripped from his mouth as he glared daggers at his enemy.

"You are going to pay for that!" If he couldn't lift him, them Alphonse would use any stuff lying around to crush him. "Die!"

Two Anti-Skill vans as well as several pieces of junk and corpses began to float, which were then sent towards Kamijou Touma. The boy first ducked under a lamppost and rolled to the side to avoid the first van while the other crushed into another van some meters away from him. A medium-sized rock made it way towards him so he sidestepped and then sprinted towards the gemstone while avoiding more pieces of junk.

Alphonse widened his eyes in shock and fear. That boy wasn't an ordinary foe, first his telekinesis didn't work on him, then he somehow evaded all his projectiles. At this rate, he was going to receive another of those punches that hurt like hell.

"Fool! Move!" Elise intercepted the boy, using her third limb to create a red wall between his companion and the surprisingly skilled teen.

That didn't stop the teen though.

Upon seeing the red thing in front of him, Kamijou instinctively raised his hands to avoid crashing on it but to everyone's surprise, the red wall was destroyed when he touched it, the limb returning to its natural form. The magician was left stupefied when her weapon, Grimhild, returned to be the lasso she first used.

Kamijou did not stop and ran past the girl, grabbing the gemstone by his tie.

"S-stop! Wha-what are you?" Alphonse stuttered as the boy shook him violently before several punches crushed into the level 4 esper's face.

"Do you expect me to be merciful with you after murdering those girls? They shouldn't have died!

"G… ghh… It… it wasn't me."

"I know…"

Elise remained stunned as one final hit landed on her comrade, a strong headbutt that knocked him out instantly. It was then when the black-haired magician realized that this boy was going to be a true obstacle in their plans. The gemstone remained on the ground, which was not really surprising, he was probably unconscious due to the beating that unknown boy gave him.

After making sure the damn bastard was unconscious, Kamijou moved his gaze to the startled girl, causing the magician to step back in fear.

"I will not repeat this… Give up and turn yourself into the authorities," Kamijou said sharply turning to fully face the crimson-eyed girl. "I wouldn't want to do the same with you."

Elise Anderson observed him closely. This boy didn't look any different from the usual students in Japan, he was just ordinary. However, his eyes were different from those normal students she had seen, in fact, his eyes were different from any other she had seen. They were fierce and strong, they held conviction and resolve which made her whole body shiver, but it wasn't of fear, it was of excitement because she had finally discovered someone who was truly worthy of using Vár with.

It was a pity that this boy was her enemy.

"I have no way to escape, I see," Elise said weakly.

"You don't," The boy replied coldly.

Isadora was impressed; she saw all the exchange with the gemstone and the ferocity of Kamijou Touma in battle. Even his behaviour was amazing, how he handled the situation so easily, and the Imagine Breaker, it truly negated any supernatural ability whether it was scientific or magical.

"I guess that my participation was not truly necessary, was it?" The witch commented as she walked to the unconscious gemstone and poked him in the face playfully. "But I still wonder, what was your true goal Elise Anderson? I know you were searching for the souls of the Valkyries… for what purpose?"

Elise chuckled in resignation as she noticed the vehicles getting close to their position. Black vans, different to the ones she had seen from the earlier authorities parked all around the area.

Kamijou glanced around as people came out of the black vehicles. Black gloves, black armors on their torso and black helmets and goggles that hid their faces were the outfit **Hound Dog** members used. The elite black operations unit that took direct orders from Aleister Crowley himself surrounded the area.

One of them walked to the wary boy.

"We will handle things from here, kid. Good job. Now get in the van with your…" The member of this unknown organization glanced at the girl that kept poking the unconscious esper. "Friend… We'll take you to the hospital."

Kamijou narrowed his gaze, he was not sure if these guys were part of Anti-Skill because he had never seen those uniforms. More of them appeared to take the gemstone and the true killer to one of the vans while they detained to black haired girl.

"I guess I failed," Elise said with an odd tone, causing Isadora to become startled.

"Shut up!" One of the men in black shouted to the girl. "You will talk when we tell you to, is that clear?"

The spiky-haired boy frowned.

"She is planning something…" Kamijou raised an eyebrow upon hearing Isadora's words, a bad feeling forming inside of him.

"What do you mean?"

She did not reply and walked to one of the vehicles and entered it. The girl ignored him for some reason, so the only thing Kamijou could do was to remain cautious and do the same as her.

As the boy entered the vehicle, a girl with black hair appeared from within with the black armoured officers. Kamijou recognized that girl; she was the one who helped him a few days ago… Was she part of that team?

Shutaura Sequenzia crossed her arms as she observed the area; it seemed like it was finally over. The gemstone managed to render her mobile weapon inoperable by disrupting its energy source with an electromagnetic device. She ended up trapped inside it, making her unable to move while the gemstone simply used his telekinesis to defeat the rest of the crows as well as the present Anti-Skill squads before escaping.

Hound Dog found her mobile weapon and took her out of it. Her customized weapon would need to get some serious repairs if it's going to be used by her again… That pissed her off a bit.

"We will clean up this mess and calculate the damage done," The Hound Dog officer spoke to the leader of the Black Crow Unit. "I suggest you return to your superior and explain the current situation."

Shutaura nodded as Kamijou looked curiously from the opened window of the van as it began to move.

"She uses shorts? That is sooooo weird."

The boy blinked before turning his head to the source of the voice and wished he hadn't done that as his face became red at the sight before him.

The girl cosplaying as a witch was peeping under the skirt of an unconscious girl he had seen before and just saved. Kamijou recalled the events of the day when he found the two victims.

"What is she doing here?" The teen scratched his cheek nervously. "Then again, she could be saying the same thing about me… She uses shorts? That's kinda… well… odd. Though you're not one to talk."

"Odd would be the last word I'll use," Isadora responded. "Anyway, don't you think that all this was just too easy? I mean, you managed to beat that guy and the other was already unconscious but…"

"But…?" The boy frowned.

"Don't you think that girl gave up too quickly? To come all the way to this city to accomplish some task, only to give up like that?"

"Well, I guess they were from a foreign country like you…" Kamijou commented thoughtfully. "And now that you mention it, it really was too easy, too quick…"

Silence followed his words and uncertainty remained on the boy. He could not relax, Isadora indeed mentioned an unsettling truth, something was not right…

**PART 16**

As three black vans moved through district 7 on their way to the hospital, one wary boy kept thinking about the implications of Isadora's earlier comment.

"I'm so hungry!"

Kamijou Touma rolled his eyes at the complaint of the self-proclaimed magician, thought he had to admit that he could use a fine meal as well.

"Oh! I brought some apples!" Isadora commented cheerfully as she took out a couple of apples from her pockets. "I forgot I brought them with me. Do you want one, Touma?"

The boy stared at her before sighing.

"Sure… why not?"

Kamijou received the fruit and both of them began to eat, maybe it was the hunger but he had to admit that the apple was extremely delicious.

"How much longer is she going to be unconscious?" After swallowing, the cute witch asked while glancing at Misaka Mikoto, who was still sleeping. "My Sleeping Beauty spell was weak; she should be awake at this point."

"Sleeping Beauty? Isn't that some fairy tale for children?"

"It is, but it also is the name of a rookie spell to make someone fall sleep."

"And you're still continuing with the stuff about magic? I assure you that she is unconscious because of almost getting strangled by that guy."

Isadora pouted and sat closer to the boy, making him feel quite uncomfortable.

"No! I casted a sleeping spell on her. I don't think that a level 5 of AC should discover magic… at least not yet. It would be dangerous to us… magicians."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

"OK, OK, whatever… Let's just assume that magic and magicians exist."

"Assume? I am the solid proof that magic truly exis-!"

A sudden movement from the vehicle made Kamijou and company crash to the sides of the van violently, a loud screech could be heard as the car stopped abruptly.

"Ouch, ouwie…" Isadora groaned in pain.

Kamijou rubbed the sore part of his head as he got himself back on the seat as the witch did the same. Screams and gunshots were heard outside, alarming both the level 0 esper and magician.

"Something is happening… Take care of her," The unfortunate boy said as he quickly opened the door and left the vehicle. His eyes widened in horror upon seeing the destruction around him. "Dear goodness…"

Some sort of black energy spread around the area and mixed with the fire from other vehicles, creating a sickening atmosphere. Wounded Hound Dog members moved to take cover from the fire as others advanced to engage the **black thing** from which the black energy was coming.

"Move! Move! Move! Move!" The squad commander shouted as he and his soldiers took strategic positions around the **Black Thing**, readying their **IMI Tavor TAR bullpup assault rifles**.

"Fire at will!"

The gunfire began.

The rifle bullets impacted on the **Black Thing**, but instead of causing it any real damage, it seemed like it was absorbing them. Soon, it spread a pair of black wings and created furious gusts of winds.

Kamijou quickly grabbed the door of the black vehicle to keep himself on the ground, watching in shock how the **black-clads** were sent flying away by the currents of wind.

"What the bloody hell is going on out there?!" Isadora shouted from inside the van.

"Stay inside the vehicle!" The boy yelled as the nearest van to the **Black thing** was sent into the sky.

Kamijou Touma couldn't tell what was that weird black form with wings that exuded black energy, nevertheless, he was positive about it not being related to any esper ability or…

Could science create such a thing? Or…was it magic?

The **Black Thing** began to fly high on the sky and away from the Imagine Breaker.

"We need to chase after her!" Kamijou looked behind him, it was the witch. "She is going to destroy this city if we don't stop her!"

"She? That thing is a she?" The boy turned around completely, facing her. "You know what that thing is? Explain yourself."

"I know why that girl surrendered," Isadora spoke with a worried voice as she walked to Kamijou's side. "She needed time to chant a demonic spell, though I didn't think she would activate it while it was incomplete. That thing you just saw is Ragnarok, or at least the almost completed Ragnarok."

"So that monster was created by them?"

"Summoned," The witch corrected. "To activate Ragnarok requires the blood of all the Valkyries descendants from Valhalla that were scattered through the world. Ragnarok is not complete because it lacks the blood of one of them; however, the spell is still quite powerful as you have seen."

"Again I don't understand a thing you are saying, but it doesn't matter now. How are we going to stop her if gunfire couldn't… or you are going to use… ehm… magic to do it," Kamijou couldn't believe he just said that.

Isadora Sprengel puffed her medium-sized chest proudly.

"I'm more than capable of handling Ragnarok, but…"

"But?" Kamijou looked at her expectantly.

"A full third of this city would immediately be destroyed," The witch stared at her with a deep expression that held sternness. "Do you want that, mate?"

The obvious answer was a no. How this little girl would handle that thing would remain a mystery because Kamijou would never accept people dying for the sake of others or as a mean to defeat an enemy.

So… what to do now? Let her keep rampaging throughout Academy City until security forces manage to take her down? Kamijou suspected the higher ups would take strong measures to deal with the enemy, but… until that occurred, how many people would be injured? Or die for that matter?

Did the situation reach a point where Kamijou Touma, carrier of the Imagine Breaker and unfortunate student of Academy City could just do nothing?

The boy sighed in resignation.

"Of course not…"

Isadora raised a hand and pointed her finger at him, looking unexpectedly serious.

"Then _**you**_ stop it," She simply said and Kamijou widened his eyes. "If anyone can do it, then it's you."

The boy did not reply and stared at her in mild shock. The witch claimed he could do it, that he could stop the destruction of the city and while he at first wondered how, his gaze fell on the right hand that held a mysterious power, one that could negate the supernatural.

"I can…" Isadora nodded, her eyes fixated on his as her cheerful demeanor returned. "Can't I?"

"Yes… The Imagine Breaker can stop it. No matter if its origins are magical or scientific; you can stop it as long as it's supernatural. Only you can defeat Ragnarok and avoid destruction."

Kamijou did not remember mentioning anything about his power, much less telling her the name of it, but the girl was not normal, whether she was an esper, magician or whatever. If she knew about the IB, then he was going to have to trust her on this.

"Then it's settl-"

Kamijou widened his eyes as his instincts screamed danger in that instant.

The spiky-haired boy ducked to avoid the swing of a sharp blade, some of his hair was cut in the process but other than that he didn't receive any other injury.

"YoU… you… YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!" A spine-chilling voice resounded in the area. "YOU ARE THE ONE THAT FOUND MY ART FIRST! YOU!"

Himura Takeshi, the insane killer had appeared before them, his left arm was twisted in an unnatural way and was just hanging limply, he also lacked some teeth and was covered in blood. He had a knife in his right hand.

Just looking at him in the state he was could cause pain.

"He probably escaped from the black vans after that girl activated Ragnarok and unleashed chaos," Isadora commented. "As I told you before, of the three, he was the one who killed those girls."

"I Was hOpINg tO mEeT my GReaTesT fAn!"

"I believe you refer to art as the way you killed them, right?" Kamijou glared at him, tightening his fists in anger. "You are a lunatic! You did NOT have the right to take their lives!"

"You mAd? I ThoUGht yOU apPrecIAted My art…"

"I'm… I'm gonna kill yo-" The boy stopped himself, he was letting his fury get the best of him. "You will respond to justice for what you've done."

Several black-clads pointed their rifles to the murderer and without warning, they shoot at point blank range.

The level 0 esper and magician remained stunned as they watched in horror the death of Himura Takeshi.

"We should have killed him before," One of the men in black commented as he neared the position of the corpse with multiple gunshots. "Now two of them are dead."

Kamijou shook his head to regain his mind, why did that man say two of them?

"As I suspected," Isadora made her way to another black vehicle. "She took advantage of the Bound Spell of Var's bracelet and completed the Oath. She used all his life force to speed-up and complete the enchantment."

Kamijou walked to the witch, pushing aside one of the Hound Dogs that tried to stop him and looked inside the vehicle. The boy felt dizzy, the urge to vomit came to him, making Kamijou's body double over before he quickly put a hand on his mouth as he tried to contain the contents of his stomach from coming out his mouth.

The British gemstone was clearly dead. His skin was white, his body extremely skinny, his eyes black and the facial expression he had was just horrible. Not even in nightmares did Kamijou see something as sickening as what was in front of him.

"She deceived and betrayed him… but she will be doomed soon enough," The witch spoke. "Var does not allow the breaking of oaths, and if it happens well… It's a just a matter of time before she dies. Will you wait until then?"

Kamijou stepped back as her averted his eyes from the vehicle.

"Inform the chief. That thing is heading to the Windowless Building," The squad leader walked to an undamaged vehicle while the body of the murderer was taken inside another. "And take the kids out of here."

"Thanks, but not this time," Isadora slammed the stick of her broom on the ground, creating a grey shockwave from the hit that pushed all of Hound Dogs members away, however, a high pitched sound was heard and the pulse disappeared. "I knew that would happen."

Kamijou glanced at his hand before looking at Isadora as the black-clads remained on the ground. A girl with brown hair appeared from a vehicle, supporting herself with the door as she glared at him, much to the boy's surprise.

"I knew it… You were part of this…" Misaka Mikoto growled as a spear of lightning formed in her hand.

"She is an electric shock user?" Said Kamijou, startled by her sudden presence.

"And not just any. She is a level 5, third strongest of the seven that exist in AC, Misaka Mikoto," Isadora Sprengel elaborated as she assumed a defensive position with her broom. "You negated my massive Sleeping Beauty spell before it reached her…it appears that she is going to be a problem."

"You all seem to know me, but that doesn't matter… I'm going put an end to this, right here, right now!"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 07

* * *

The spear of lightning headed towards the witch, followed by another aimed at the spiky haired-boy who stood in front of them and raised his right hand. The lightning disappeared upon impacting on the Imagine Breaker, with only smoke remaining.

Like a gamble where his life was the wager, Kamijou decided to face the lightning in order to protect Isadora, without knowing for sure if the Imagine Breaker would stop it.

Thankfully, it did…

"So you are not just some random boy, I see," Mikoto tilted her head a bit. "I should have captured you when I met you that day, stalker."

"I don't have anything to with the murders. I was actually trying to stop them."

Mikoto let out a dark chuckle. The electromaster could not believe that he was still trying to lie, having so many agents of order lying on the ground around him with a suspicious looking girl at his side.

"Don't make me laugh… Liar! How many of you are there, really? More and more of your friends keep appearing with strange weapon and abilities. Are you with some kind of organization? Answer me!"

The roar of the Railgun was accompanied by multiple sparks that headed to them, which were stopped by a right hand. Mikoto gritted her teeth at the sight of seeing her attack failing yet again but then she smirked.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 05

* * *

(He can stop my lighting with his bare hand… Maybe he is a powerful level 4…)

"Whatever your ability does, it's kind of shocking to see you repelling my attacks with your hand," Mikoto unexpectedly complimented his new found enemy. "I will not hold back then…"

"…Damn it! I don't have time for this," Kamijou readied himself for another new fight.

Black clouds began to form on the sky as Kamijou Touma avoided and negated multiple electric attacks from Misaka Mikoto. The boy managed to remain intact but he felt an increasing amount of pain from the wound on his back that would surely open if he kept moving.

Using magnetism, Mikoto pulled the front doors of one of the black vans and threw them at him with incredible speed.

"Whoa!" Kamijou jumped to the side and rolled, evading successfully the two projectiles. "Hey! You're going for the wrong person!"

"Stop lying! I know you are their accomplice."

Kamijou sighed in annoyance simply because his misfortune had no limits. Destiny had somehow managed to trick a level 5 into believing that he was her enemy…

Very unfortunate indeed.

"Railgun! The true murderer is dead and so is one of his companions!" Isadora unexpectedly spoke with resolve as she walked to Kamijou's side. "Only one of them remains and is planning to kill the Board Chairman and steal the Database of Academy City!"

"Huh?/What?" Kamijou and Mikoto said simultaneously and widened their eyes in disbelief and shock.

(I suppose that mentioning the motive of her goal is not necessary. Seriously, to gain control of Academy City's Intel network in order to achieve the successful creation of the so desired booster spell Blank Paper. How far does 'Dusk Waiting to Awaken' plan to go? Not even caring whether or not the balance between magic and science is broken.) The witch mused worriedly.

"So that's what she is planning to do with Rag… ehm… whatever that black thing was…"

"Black thing?" Mikoto questioned.

"Yes! And your interference is going to help her achieve her mission! We will stop her but you need to let us go!" The brown-haired magician raised her broom and it began to shine red. "Or I will be forced to take you down."

Isadora's chilling voice startled Kamijou. She was acting a lot different than before, though considering the development of the current events, it was not surprising. The safety of the city was in danger.

"Listen!" Kamijou's voice resounded strongly. "If you think that I'm guilty of what happened, then I will surrender this instant! But that will not save the many lives that are going to perish if I do."

Misaka Mikoto narrowed her gaze and then looked at the ground beneath her. She was confused, she was angry and she didn't know what to do. The level 5 was sure he was a criminal and that the girl with an odd outfit was his accomplice, but… they both spoke as if they were saying the truth.

The girl with black hair and crimson eyes was nowhere to be seen, meaning that they were referring to her as the one that would bring hell to the city if she wasn't stopped.

But what if she captures them and the girl kills the board chairman? While also stealing AC's Database? It would mean the end of this city, not to mention that more lives would perish if she continued to attack the city with whatever she was planning to use.

Nonetheless, they could be lying…

"What about all the security you have killed? Look how many corpses around!"

"There are only two corpses here," Isadora responded. "Of both criminals, I mean. The soldiers are just sleeping… Feel free to check them if you don't believe me."

Just as the girl dressing as a witch said, Mikoto moved to the closest law-enforcer and knelt down, removing his black helmet, the black goggles and the elastic face mask he wore. The girl put her head close to his nose… and yes, his breathing suggested he was just sleeping.

"OK… they are sleeping…" Mikoto stood on her feet again. "So why are they sleeping here? This doesn't make any sense."

"I used…" Isadora pondered for some seconds before continuing. "A drug that doesn't affect espers. They would have died if they tried to confront her with their weapons."

"So you are telling me that only you can stop her? That's way too convenient."

Kamijou stepped forward and stood just in front of the Level 5.

"You have seen how I negated your attacks right? I can do the same with… the weapon she is using," The boy's tone was serious. "Let me stop her, please…"

Kamijou looked at her directly in the eyes, and Mikoto returned the gesture. Almost an entire minute passed as Isadora waited expectantly and remained silent.

"…Fine," Mikoto turned around. "Go… but hear me clearly. I will not abandon the idea of you being a stalker. I will catch you next time, this I promise."

Was she doing the right thing? Letting that spiky-haired boy off the hook again? Probably not, but somehow, the eyes of this boy looked sincere, like he was truly desperate about stopping the chaos that would befall her city if that criminal was not apprehended.

The boy smiled, though Mikoto did not see it.

"Follow me!" Isadora shouted as she ran to the left street.

Kamijou observed the level 5 for a few seconds before he turned around and went in the direction of the cosplaying girl.

The Ace of Tokiwadai finally let her body slowly slide down on the nearest vehicle and sat on the ground.

"I think I could use a rest… My neck is killing me…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Are we really going to reach that thing by just running?"

An unfortunate boy asked to the witch in front of him.

"Of course not!" Isadora suddenly stopped and then scanned the area around them. "I just wanted to get away from that level 5. I can't allow her to know that I'm a magician."

"I doubt that she would think of you as one. I bet she is as ignorant as me in that matter."

Isadora raised her left eyebrow, the boy was probably right.

"I will not refute that statement, Touma," The magician smiled. "In any case, hop on."

Kamijou frowned slightly upon seeing the girl getting on top of her broom, like a real witch would do. The sight of her at that moment was a bit surreal.

"Hop on? Are you seriously asking me to do that?"

"I know it looks a bit dodgy, but trust me, it's our better source of transportation," She made a thoughtful expression. "And please, don't touch it with your right hand."

"…And you say you're not a witch?" Kamijou rolled his eyes. "I'm feeling pretty stupid right now."

Kamijou walked in resignation clear on his face to her and… stopped.

"I have two problems right now…"

"Which are?" Isadora inquired, getting a bit exasperated due to his attitude. The situation was dire and they were losing valuable time.

"First, your broom wouldn't damage… my… virility, would it?"

Kamijou was not sure how to approach that subject so he came with that word, and from the face that Isadora just made, he could tell that she understood well what he meant.

"N-n-no! You gormless esper!" The girl stuttered, her face as red as a tomato. "Why are you thinking about that at this moment?"

"Can you blame me? I have yet to experience any of… those events… and I'm at the age of youth!" The boy responded dumbly. "I'm not planning to die, and I want to have a family in the future!"

"J-just hop on! Your balls-" She covered her mouth. "Yo-you are going to be okay!"

The boy raised a stopping hand, sporting a blank expression.

"Wait, the other problem still remains. If I hop on, I would be behind you and that would be extremely awkward… How close do we have to be?"

"JUST. HOP. ON!" Isadora unexpectedly grabbed him by his shirt and pulled the boy close. "This isn't exactly easy for ME too, so JUST deal with it!"

The girl pushed the boy back and raised the back of the broom where Kamijou would need to sit.

"Geez…" Kamijou scratched his head and sat on the broom, his legs at both sides just like her. "Is this OK? Am I supposed to grab onto you?"

"Do whatever you want, but do not fall."

Even if the boy accepted to sit on the broom, he did not really believe that it would fly, or at least, he did not expected that it would do it just like it did.

The broom moved very fast, and Kamijou could only embrace the girl in front of him to keep himself on the flying object. This, of course, earned a loud moan from the witch that only worsened the situation, even causing the broom to lose its speed for a few seconds.

"I knew you were going to hold onto me, but not like that!"

"I almost fell from this thing! I can't believe we are actually flying on it," The boy looked down, there was already a huge distance between them and solid ground. "I'm truly starting to believe in magic…"

"Y-you… ahh!" Another moan came from her. "You… you are way too close… and your hands…"

"I-I know I am, but If I move away I'm going to fall down! Let just go there quickly…" Kamijou blinked. "Am I touching anything I shouldn't?"

Isadora bit her lip, his embrace was too strong and one of his hands was grabbing her chest.

"Just move that hand a bit down… but not MUCH!"

"F-fine, I wouldn't want my hand to touch that part either… MOVING ON!"

The broom was directed toward the direction of a tall, windowless building. The **Black Thing** could be seen from their location moving towards it. Without wasting anymore time, Isadora and Kamijou flew very fast as they both tried to avoid thinking about their embarrassing positions.

**PART 17**

Two missiles made their way to the **Black Thing**, but the projectiles were destroyed before reaching it due to black reddish spears that intercepted them. Apparently, the wings had an ability like that.

"It didn't work?! Yomikawa Aiho commented in disbelief.

She, along many squads tried to fend off the **Weapon** made of **Nanotechnology**, as they were informed by their superiors.

More spears came from the wings and crashed on the surface of the building that emanated purple light, though no damage was created by them due to the material the building was made from.

**Calculate Fortress** or **Operation Type Impact Diffusing Compound Material** was what the Windowless building was made of, capable of sustaining almost every kind of attack imaginable.

However, what made this building truly impenetrable was that it used electromagnetic waves or ultraviolet rays to calculate the pattern of the approaching attack, then making the armour plates vibrate at optimum vibrations in order to cancel out the incoming impact and shockwaves. The fortress also possessed counter-measures in case chemicals were used, or artifacts that changed the temperature.

As such, every attack Elise Anderson made on the Calculate Fortress with Ragnarok were futile despite how powerful they were.

"Code Orange has changed to Red, all units gather at district 7," Yomikawa spoke on the radio to the main Anti-Skill base of operations. "Permission to use heavy weaponry."

"Permission denied. Wait for the Six Wings that are on their way and hold your position."

The transmission ended and Yomikawa sighed after that.

"It's not like that thing is interested on us anyway… It's only attacking that building," The woman commented to herself as she glanced at the thing. "Take cover behind the vans, we wouldn't want to be unprotected if that thing decided to use those spears on us… and take the Powered Suits away, we can't use them yet. Our order is to maintain this position."

"Roger!" The agents of order close to her nodded and moved to fulfill her orders.

The **Black Thing** moved and stood on the rooftop of a less tall structure in front of its target. The wings spread to the sides and a red circle materialized in front of it. Soon, a powerful red beam came out of the circle impacting on the surface of the impenetrable structure.

"What on earth…?" An officer of Anti-Skill widened his eyes in fear as all the security forces present took cover from the pulses created by the crashing of the red energy.

"She is using the Thrym's Eda again. We must hurry!"

"Thrym's… what…? WHOA!"

The flying broom took a swift descent as it moved at incredible speed. It only took a few minutes for Isadora Sprengel and Kamijou Touma to reach the area where Ragnarok was present.

"We will land on top of that building, stay sharp!" Isadora said aloud and the unfortunate boy tensed in anticipation.

The witch halted the broom.

"I guess this is a prudent altitude… I'm going to jump," Kamijou moved away from the girl and raised his leg as he accommodated himself over the thick broom.

Now being in a duck-like position with both feets over the broom, Kamijou took a deep breath and jumped on the roof, rolling his body forward upon landing to lessen the impact.

"Good. Now get her attention while I create a portal," Said Isadora before flying away.

"Portal? And you said it like it's easy…" The boy looked warily at the black form about a dozen meters away from him. It was shooting some kind of laser at the purple building…

"Wait, the Windowless Building was purple?"

The boy looked around before walking slowly towards it. It seemed the Black Thing hasn't noticed his presence yet, so if he could get close enough… The boy recalled what the witch said to him in their way here.

_'You will only negate Ragnarok if you touch the **Red Sphere** in the middle with your right hand.'_

Kamijou wanted to ask her some more questions, like where this sphere was exactly, or where was the middle in that Black Thing, but their travel by broom was short and the speed it possessed did not allow him to talk due to the strong current of the wind.

Whenever that red sphere was, he had to get close enough to find it.

The boy continued to move forward but suddenly, multiple white lights that came from the sky illuminated the roof. Kamijou turned around to see multiples choppers arriving at his location.

**HsAFH-11N**, also known as **Six Wings** were attack helicopters that had wings at each side of the aircraft that split into three, hence its name. This machine was controlled by advanced AI and its automatic attack mode made it one of the most efficient technological weapons Academy City ever produced.

The Six Wings was armed with machine guns and it also could shoot surface attack missiles, as well as short ranged anti-armoured vehicle missiles that used infrared sensors to lock on targets. As a defensive mechanism, it could use softball-like projectiles as a counter against anti-aircraft missiles, which sprayed out iron sand followed up by a high-voltage electric current. The electrified field created by it extended 20 meters in every direction and could make any missile explode if exposed to it.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 08

* * *

"What on earth…?" The teen whispered in shock.

Meanwhile on the ground. "The reinforcements are here. Pull back!" Yomikawa Aiho shouted to the squads gathered in the area.

The helicopters surrounded the **Black Thing** that continued to unleash the red beam onto the Windowless Building without caring about the presence of the armoured aircraft.

"Oh… Shit…"

The machine guns began their rapid fire and Kamijou Touma could only run away in order to save his life.

"How the hell I'm supposed to get close to that with bullets coming in all directions!"

The boy shouted as the **Black Thing** stopped its attack on the building and directed the red beam to the choppers. The first one was completely destroyed as the others dispersed to get away from it.

The remains of the chopper crashed below, causing a part of the rooftop which Kamijou was currently running on to collapse. The boy tripped on a crack that spread throughout the rooftop.

"Kgh… I can't die here!" Kamijou quickly stood up and sprinted away from the falling rooftop, stopping on the edge at the other side. "Ok… I'm not so sure now…"

It was an excessively long distance between him and the ground below, to fall would mean instant death, but the boy had nowhere else to move or maybe… he had.

The beam ceased as missiles crashed on Ragnarok, black energy flying all around. The boy dashed forward to it as he avoided the nearby explosions and jumped before the whole roof collapsed.

The boy fell on a lower level of the destroyed building and slid his body over a huge column. Kamijou used the momentum to increase his speed and jump from it before reaching the end.

The boy observed his surroundings as his body moved through the air, Ragnarok just before him.

(I'm so dead… but this is it!)

Kamijou stretched his right arm towards the Black Thing as bullets passed over him, under him, at his sides, but fortunately, none of them went through him. It was like time stopped at that moment, his eyes fixated on the mass of black energy before him.

Moreover, his right hand touched it…

The black energy dispelled to the sides and a form appeared. It was someone he had seen before, the black-haired girl with crimson eyes who was looking at him with an equally shocked expression.

Suddenly, Isadora appeared and flew swiftly and caught the boy just before he hit the ground as Ragnarok crashed on the building, totally destroying it as a cloud of dust engulfed the area.

"It's that girl! She is inside Ragnarok!" Kamijou shouted as Isadora landed on another rooftop. "I think I saw the red sphere on her chest."

"That was totally reckless… but good job," The witch smirked. "You destroyed the outer shell which was the mass of energy you just negated. Now the inner one remains, and by that I mean the red sphere."

"If I can get close to her again, we can win," Kamijou looked down, Ragnarok spreading the wings that protruded from the back of the black-haired girl. "But with the security forces attacking, it's going to be impossible."

"That's why I have created a portal," Isadora elaborated as she pointed her index to a blue light shining in the sky. "Using as base the principles of the Dai Nihon Enkai Yochi Zenzu, I managed to replicate a spell used by the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church."

Kamijou's jaw fell.

"Why do you keep explaining that stuff to me? It's not like I can understand any of it, you know," The boy deadpanned.

(Hmm… Boring! I don't even mention the part about creating my own portal instead of using the 47 already existing in this country. I don't even have to restrict myself to the limitations these portals had because mine is not plotted upon the atlas created of the gathered survey work of the cartographer Tadataka Ino, which was mapped and measured to the location of the stars.)

Isadora pouted, she loved sharing her knowledge with others, but if those others could not grasp what she shared, it would be just senseless to give such information. Still, she still did so when the chance presented itself. Maybe this was one of the reasons why her Grimoire accepted her.

"The portal will take Ragnarok to another location, far from all these people, but it will not remain there for much longer, we need to lead Ragnarok to it," Isadora motioned him to hop on the broom again. "If we do it, we'll kill two birds with one stone."

"To lead that thing away from this place and by that, securing the safety of the city. Also, a place where we could deal with it without any kind of interference… perfect."

"Exactly," Isadora smiled proudly.

"Then let's get to it," Kamijou seated himself on the broom again and it flew upward.

Isadora ignored the embrace of the boy and moved near Ragnarok.

"Isadora Sprengel! Who is that boy and how did he manage to destroy my protective shell!?" Elise Anderson, wielder of Ragnarok, shouted furiously as her black wings flapped repeatedly before taking flight.

"If you are interested, you can ask him yourself!" The witch winked at her mockingly. "Though, if I think about it, with such a poorly prepared spell, it's not surprising that your Ragnarok is this weak."

The taunt worked and Elise flew towards them, multiple black reddish spears sent by her wings in order to kill her enemies. She had failed in causing any damage to her objective and it was probably because her Ragnarok spell lacked the blood of the last Valkyrie.

Yomikawa Aiho and the other Anti-Skill members wondered what was the little thing flying in the sky that apparently was the new target of the **Black Thing**.

Shirai Kuroko, who just arrived at the place, widened her eyes at the sight in front of her eyes.

"What… what is that?" She stared at the strange form moving on the sky in awe for a few moments before shaking her head. "No! Don't lose focus! I need to find Onee-sama! Anti-Skill will handle this."

The teleporter disappeared from the area as a shiny blue light enveloped the black thing in the sky and vanished from the sight of all those who were witnessing the event.

"Did it...? Did it… just… disappear?" Yomikawa commented to herself as her voice faded completely. All the members of the squads sported varied expressions of disbelief, amazement, shock and even fear.

Only total silence remained before the Windowless Building.

**PART 18**

"Rubidus831…" Elise Anderson spoke darkly. "The One who carries a Crimson Destiny."

Isadora made a worried expression, their enemy had just mention her **magic name**, and it could only mean one thing.

"A duel to death, huh?" The witch directed her attention to the boy at her side. "She will not hold back anymore… Are you ready, Touma?"

The boy to which she spoke only glanced at her and raised his right hand, forming a fist.

"I'm not ready… however, that's not going to change the fact that I'm doing this."

Kamijou Touma answered with resolve, taking a step forward. They were currently near the isolated area where the **Graveyard Tower** was located inside **School District 10**, which was rampant with urban decay. This district also held several nuclear energy research facilities as well as the barely known **Special Ability Institute**.

This infamous institute was dismantled by Yomikawa Aiho's unit due to the illegal and inhuman experiments performed on people, especially with **Child Errors**, who were orphans that resided in Academy City.

"That's not the answer I was hoping to hear, but I suppose it still works…"

Huge amounts of black energy flowed around Elise, her black wings spread to the sides as some sort of black reddish double-edged sword with a weird design materialized on her arm.

"I know I'm going to die… I knew it the moment I entered this city," The soft smile her face showed turned evil. "But I'm going to accomplish my mission before I do. Even if I have to destroy the entire city, I'll find the last descendant of the Valkyries and take down that bloody building!"

The black energy became red, as if it was fire and Elise began to float, strong shockwaves coming from her one after another. Some sort of circular symbol began to take form behind her as the atmosphere became dense.

"The spell is reaching its ultimate stage," Isadora took another apple from her pocket and brought it to her mouth before a huge wave that released red energy stopped her from biting it.

"The… the amount of mana that she is letting out is absurd! I… I underestimated the power of Ragnarok, even if it's not complete."

The sight before both the Imagine Breaker and Golden Witch was truly terrifying.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 09

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Picture 06

* * *

"Behold Ragnarok!" Her smile twisted. "I will now destroy you and this wretched city!"

Kamijou Touma did not falter and stood strong in front of the mad magician as his companion visibly frowned.

"Hmm… This doesn't look good…" Isadora commented as she held the apple she was about to eat near her mouth and muttered some words.

A strong pulse came from Ragnarok, the ground around cracking as dark energy emerged from the openings on the floor.

"Here it comes!" Kamijou warned.

Multiple black projectiles were shot from the wings and came towards them. Kamijou negated the incoming projectiles with his right hand as he began to move forward. He swung the Imagine Breaker to destroy each and everyone of the black spears. Soon, the wings began to move, creating powerful gust of winds directed towards the boy.

"Kgh..." Kamijou advanced step-by-step to his enemy.

Kamijou struggled to maintain his feet on the ground, covering part of his face with his left arm. The area around him was deformed, though he couldn't tell if it was because of Ragnarok or his mind had began to become insane.

Isadora threw the apple to the sky and to Kamijou's surprise, a purple aura surrounded it and the apple grew in size, landing in front of them as some kind of shield.

"An enormous apple?"

The black reddish spears impaled the apple but none of them passed through it, they were safe for now.

"As expected of the golden witch, to use something as simple as an apple to stop my attack, it's amazingly annoying," Elise's deformed voice spoke with a subtle tone of sarcasm. "And you… how can you stop my Jötnar needles? You're not an ordinary boy, are you? That ability of yours goes beyond everything."

"Even if he isn't ordinary, that is not of your concern," The witch responded before the boy could. "Your death will only get worse if you continue to use the Spell of End!"

"What do you mean 'her death'? Does using this Ragnarok will take her life or something?"

Kamijou's voice showed concern, which startled both of them. It was as if the boy was worried about the future of his enemy, despite what she previously said.

"I don't need you worrying about me," Elise's wings closed. "If I was in your position, I would be running for my life"

The magician lunged forward, her odd sword cutting the enormous apple in half. Isadora quickly flew off on her broom as Kamijou rolled to the side to avoid a swing of her sharp-looking weapon. More black spears headed at Kamijou's direction after that, but he was ready and zigzagged and successfully avoided them.

"I can understand why the golden witch would challenge me, despite us both hating this city, but you… why would you meddle in this confrontation? You have no business here!"

The boy let out a mocking chuckle.

"You say this is none of my business? You attack the people of this city for the sake of your goals, you even plan to destroy this city and you dare say it's not my business!?"

The Ragnarok girl smiled at this response.

"What? Do you think of yourself as some sort of Hero, someone who can appear and defeat the bad guys just like in those cliché movies from the United States? I'm amazed that you haven't started to run like a scared cat when I activated the Spell of End, Ragnarok."

"I don't think of myself as anything…" Kamijou felt no fear as he spoke, even if certain death awaited him, he felt no fear because he was fighting for the city he cherished, the city that hasn't seen him as the child of chaos everyone thought of him during his childhood, the city that was now his home.

"Hero, villain, police, delinquent, adult, boy… esper or magician…" The boy smiled oddly before shaking his head, sharp eyes concentrating on his enemy. "It doesn't matter what or who I am, but just know that I will stop you no matter what."

Elise frowned, the way her new enemy talked with such determination made her worry. Could it be that he could stop Ragnarok? But what was his power exactly? She noticed the boy only used his right hand when he nullified her attacks so maybe his power only resided in that limb.

Elise came to the conclusion that her enemy was an esper that somehow negated supernatural abilities, like he did with Alphonse's telekinesis and her End Magic based attacks. Now, the question was… to what extent did this ability work? There was one way to find out, actually… two.

"Let's see how that hand holds up against Fenrir's Fang."

Kamijou rose an eyebrow in confusion, and the witch noticed it.

"She must be referring to the sword she has on her hand," Isadora commented as she observed closely the nature of the odd weapon.

More black spears emerged from the wings but this time they flew to the sky, and then fell as a deadly red rain. Upon seeing this, Isadora quickly took action.

"Ecnatsissa ruoy em gnirb, Belial!"

The boy couldn't be more shocked, after the girl shouted those strange words, a shiny purple circle with a star on the middle appeared before Kamijou's head and to his shock, a big monstrous hand emerged from it.

A red orb appeared above the monster's hand and split in multiple lesser orbs, each one of them moving and intercepting every single spear. The horrible hand returned to the circle and disappeared after the death rain had been neutralized.

Kamijou Touma was fully witnessing magic and there was no way that he could deny its existence anymore.

It was at that exact moment that Elise lunged towards the distracted teen to strike. The boy let his guard down after seeing Isadora's magic and this was her chance.

The boy moved his dazed eyes toward the black wings coming directly at him and his instincts acted accordingly to what was about to occur.

The Imagine Breaker grabbed and stopped Fenrir's Fang but it did not disappear or was negated despite its magic nature, however it did not cut his right hand either. Kamijou planted his feet firmly on the ground as he held his position, not letting Ragnarok advance any further.

"Your power is amazing! You…you are very interesting…" The British magician smiled slyly as she pushed her magic blade a bit. "I wish I had known you before…"

The boy was startled, what did she meant by that? Moreover, why was his Imagine Breaker not working?

"Touma! You can't negate her sword because Ragnarok possesses an extremely fast self-regenerating capability," Isadora informed loudly as she continued to fly above them. "Your right hand is indeed doing its job but it can't fully negate her magic!"

The boy gritted his teeth as his enemy began to push him back, black energy flied everywhere and crashed with the cemetery-like structures, which were similar to that of an elevator equipped with a multi-story car park.

"Wonderful… Your ability does negate magic…"

"Does it even matter?" Kamijou used all his strength and swung his right arm, pushing Elise back and gaining some distance. "Does that really matter!? Can't you see that this goes beyond what we can do?" The boy stood still and closed his eyes; his expression was one of indignation. "It's what we do with what we have that matters and you have only caused suffering and death!"

Elise narrowed her eyes at his protest; his attitude was beginning to bug her. Just who the hell did this boy think he was to judge her? To judge her actions? Her mission? She was fighting for her beliefs, for the sake of her cabal and an important person to her.

This spiky-haired boy, whoever he was, whatever ability he possessed, did not have the right to judge her, he knew nothing of her and if people had to die in order to achieve her goal, then she was willing to accept it.

Even now, she had accepted her own death that would inevitably occur because Vár's Oath was completed, yet broken after using all the life-force of the Gemstone to which she was bound to.

"Shut up, you bloody nuisance!" The black haired girl screamed. "I have no reason to hear your lousy ramblings! I will use Ragnarok and destroy this pathetic city and you with it! Nobody will stop me!"

Kamijou Touma darkened his gaze, his stance taking an aggressive position.

"Don't be so sure of that…"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 05 Section: Song 10

* * *

**Imagine Breaker** and **Ragnarok **knew, the final confrontation was at hand.

Elise Anderson laughed wickedly at Kamijou's remark before seemingly endless amounts of black energy began to cover the entire area. It spread and destroyed everything it touched, but couldn't harm Kamijou as his right hand held its advance. Soon, the witch landed at his side with a worried expression.

"The infinite energy of Ragnarok will consume this city, along with the whole country at this rate… I've been careless, Ragnarok is just too powerful," Isadora raised her broom and twirled it, creating a purple aura in the area where it was spinning. "I will create you a passage to her where that black force will not bother you for a few seconds, but you will have to move fast after your right hand negates my own magic. That red crystal is your objective; you must destroy it with your power."

The boy nodded, his mind getting ready for what was about to come.

"D. T. M. I. O. M. A. P. T. C! (Destroy The Magic In Front Of Me And Purge The Corruption!)" These letters were spoken by her, which made no sense to Kamijou. However, the purple aura became brighter and expanded forward in Ragnarok's direction.

"Quick, Touma! You must reach her!"

Kamijou Touma took swift action and dashed towards his enemy, his right hand ready to stop anything that might come his way. The boy entered the area where the black energy couldn't penetrate and the IB negated Isadora's spell as expected. Soon, the demonic ground began to cover the Road before him as the boy advanced, he had to move faster but it became difficult due to the recurring pain of the not fully recovered gunshot on his back.

(Kgh… I won't stop now… My life is not the only thing at stake here.)

The boy mustered all his strength and ignored the pain. The darkness covered his surroundings; weird sounds came from everywhere as if deformed screams of lamentation called his name. Kamijou found himself inside a horrid tunnel of black reddish energy that emanated an oppressive atmosphere.

Honestly, it looked like he was inside a tunnel that would lead him to Hell itself.

As seconds passed, it became more and more difficult for Kamijou to take a step forward, though he still pushed himself to his limits and continued to get close to the eye of the storm while the Imagine breaker negated the demonic force trying to push him back.

The ground was cracking, the rubble around him was floating, the demonic territory was already covering the path behind the boy, he knew his time was coming to an end.

Kamijou Touma had to end this now.

"HOW!? Even if your ability can negate magic, how can it stop the end of the world!?"

"Because the end of the world is not meant to be, not brought by you or by the hands of anyone else," Kamijou pushed himself forward as he gritted his teeth fiercely.

"The end you speak of is nothing but a mere Illusion that I will destroy with this right hand. I'm no Hero, I'm not the strongest esper, but…" The boy gave two steps forward, his glare fearsome. "Right here, right now, I'm the only one standing in front of you… That is why it is up to me to stop you."

The Imagine Breaker reached Ragnarok at that moment and a loud piercing sound echoed throughout the area. Red cracks spread through the demonic energies around, an intense light erupting from them until they broke into millions of pieces as if made out of glass.

Soon, Elise Anderson came in sight. Her expression pretty much showed her feelings. Extreme shock. Her eyes moved down to where the hand of her enemy was.

The Imagine breaker was touching the red jewel on her chest, **Grimhild's Valhala**, which was the source of power for her magic weapon. The gem cracked after a few seconds while the boy just stared at her, with it turning into scarlet dust and dispersing through the air. Fenrir's Fang as well as her Valkyrie's Wings shattered into pieces.

"Y-you destroyed a Spell of End…" Elise said in disbelief as Kamijou stepped back and just continued to look at her, his eyes showed pity. "Why…? What are you…? Just what is that right hand?"

The boy did not respond or remove his eyes from her, not even when Isadora Sprengel appeared by his side.

A few moments passed when finally, Kamijou Touma's voice was heard in the isolated area.

"It's over…"

Elise blinked before her gaze was averted to the side.

"Yes… It indeed is over… At least for me…" The crimson-eyed magician spoke softly in resignation. "You have won…"

Kamijou shook his head.

"I've won nothing…"

Isadora remained silent, she could not think of anything to say, the boy looked oddly sad for some reason despite the fact that he had successfully stopped Ragnarok.

"I have failed my cabal, I have failed the people that trusted me, and her… Oh god, I have failed her… " Kamijou blinked when tears appeared on her eyes. "Not even my death will erase this failure…"

"I don't really know what to say to you…" Kamijou turned around. "But know this, you are going to have to answer to justice for what you have done."

"Don't worry for that… my punishment is at hand."

Kamijou glanced at her over his shoulder and noticed the eyes of remorse on his former opponent. His eyes then moved to the witch, who sported a sorrowful expression.

Elise raised her hands and observed them as she chuckled, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow.

"Why are you laughing?" The boy asked sharply, narrowing his gaze.

"Because I have nothing left… Not even my life now… It's funny… in a twisted way."

Kamijou was startled by her words. What was she trying to say?

"Touma, let's leave, there is nothing left to do now…" Isadora walked to his side, but avoided meeting his eyes. "We have to leave before it starts."

"Leave? But she is going to escape if we do that… and what do you mean by 'before it st-'?"

"Argh!"

Kamijou looked back to the black-haired magician with Isadora doing the same.

The skin of the girl was covered by green marks that seemed to come from the green bracelet on her arm. Kamijou recalled seeing it on the other guy he defeated. Why was she wearing it? How did she get it? What was it doing to her?

Screams of desperation, agony, fear and pain came from the girl causing the boy to get desperate.

"What's happening to her?" The boy asked in concern.

"She broke Vár's Oath. I'm surprised that using Ragnarok didn't absorb her soul, but I figured the Imagine Breaker negated Ragnarok's aftereffect." Isadora explained with a serious tone. "However, you haven't cancelled the connection she made with that gemstone using Vár."

"Stop! Make it stop!" Elise knelt due to the intense burning pain spreading across her body, which was caused by the marks on her skin. "Please! It hurts! It hurts too much. ARRRRGGGHHH!"

"She is going to die…" The witch finally said and Kamijou didn't waste any more time.

The boy dashed towards her and raised the Imagine Breaker to destroy the bracelet, but it levitated and dragged Elise's body with it into the sky, she was out of reach.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kamijou said in indignation as he watched in horror how the girl hanged from the floating magical bracelet, tears streaming down her face.

The boy had to stop this madness, he could not keep watching the terrible suffering that girl was enduring. Each scream she made altered his mind little by little, they were just horrible.

"Touma! I'm not sure if this will do any good but I can't watch this too… Get on the broom; I will take you to her!"

Kamijou turned around and saw the witch getting close. He mounted the flying object together with the brown-haired girl and flew towards the girl in agony.

Just before they could reach her, a pulse originated from the bracelet and pushed the broom away forcefully, making Isadora lose the control of it as both girl and boy were sent flying away and back to the surface.

Kamijou fell on his back, causing enormous pain to course through his body, not only from the hit from the fall, but also from the bullet wound that was reopened upon impact with the ground. Isadora received a hit on the head and lost consciousness.

"Kgh… Damnit!" Kamijou forced himself to stand on his feet as he supported his arms on his knees.

Blood spurted again from his wound, his shirt getting stained by the blood, but that didn't matter now, only the girl that was being attacked by an unknown force called Vár.

The light of the green marks intensified and Elise's arms began to move by their own in unnatural directions, breaking her bones and causing even more dreadful screams. Then, her legs began to do the same.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The boy widened his eyes in complete horror as he observed the sickening punishment that the girl was receiving. The boy moved to the witch and tried to wake her up but she did not respond, he even tried to use the broom by himself but it wasn't working. She was simply out of her reach.

Kamijou Touma could do nothing to stop the suffering of the magician.

The next minutes, it became worse, and the girl stopped screaming; only her barely audible crying was heard as the curse destroyed her body and mind.

Kamijou could just leave and refrain from watching her horrible death, but he couldn't move, he knelt in resignation as tears of desperation appeared on his eyes.

This was the most horrible thing he ever witnessed, not even in the movies, nightmares, or the times he found the victims during this time compared to what his eyes were seeing at this very moment.

"Please…" He whispered weakly. "Someone… help her… stop this…" He gritted his teeth and hit the ground several times, causing severe damage to his knuckles. "Even if she did wrong, she does not deserve this!" The boy roared loudly in impotence.

One more endless minute passed and the demonic bracelet finally absorbed the almost unrecognizable body of Elise Anderson as if she was made of energy. The bracelet fell from the sky and landed a couple of meters forward from the stunned boy.

Only utter darkness and silence remained in the area near the Cemetery building.

Kamijou's mentality has been compromised; he could not process any normal kind of thought pattern that wasn't related to the death of the girl. The guilt and impotence Kamijou felt was overwhelming and it was destroying his mind.

"I was useless… I fought to protect everyone, but I couldn't do anything for her… I couldn't, I couldn't…"

A girl stepped near him but the boy kept muttering and muttering his failure.

Isadora Sprengel observed the broken boy. His eyes were lost; it was like his soul left his body.

"Touma…"

**PART 19**

"Now that almost all of you are here, I will explain the current situation regarding a person who you all seem to care about."

Isadora Sprengel stood in the middle of the rooftop of a certain hospital. Surrounding her was Shokuhou Misaki, Wannai Kinuho and Kumokawa Seria.

"Hold on a minute… Who are you? Was it you that sent us that mental message?" Kumokawa inquired with suspicion. "And more importantly, what happened to him?"

Shokuhou stepped forward, took a TV remote control from her wallet that had a star on the middle and pointed it at the girl dressed as a witch.

"I will not wait for you to explain it. Touma-chan is suffering and I need to know why as soon as possible."

Her thumb pressed a button on the control and… nothing came to her mind.

"W-wha…?" Shokuhou blinked in mild shock.

"You think I would meet you without being prepared, Mental Out? I know very well of what you are capable of…" Isadora smiled. "That's why I need your help. Not to mention that Kamijou Touma seems to be really important to you."

"Eh?" The blonde's face became red. "What makes you say that?"

"You could have read his mind, but you didn't. That only proves that you respect him, or…"

Kumokawa scoffed loudly, earning the attention of the other three females.

"Can we return to the subject? You have not responded to any of my questions."

"I will not say my name, nor you won't find me in any database," The witch spoke with confidence. "The face you are seeing now is not real. Consider it a mask."

Both rivals narrowed her gazes. Shokuhou saw the witch as a girl with short orange hair with matching eyes, Kumokawa saw her as a girl with pink hair and green eyes. Wannai, well, in her eyes she had blond hair, purple eyes and a scar that ran horizontally on the left side of her forehead and another vertically on her left cheek.

"Then why have you gathered us here?" Wannai finally spoke.

"Because I have a task for each one of you."

Shokuhou's brow twitched, she was extremely worried about the condition of Kamijou Touma and this girl was making her lose time that she could be using to find a way to help the boy.

"What makes you think we'll do what you say?" Mental-Out shot back, crossing her arms to show her clear annoyance.

"You will do it for his sake."

No reply was heard. Isadora found their silence as a cue to continue.

"As you have noticed, Touma suffered a mental-breakdown," Wannai averted her eyes while Shokuhou and Kumokawa tightened her hands into fists.

(This must be her fault! And why does she call him by his name!?) Shokuhou bit her lip as she resisted the urge to try using her power on the girl again.

"This occurred because he witnessed a horrible event, and that together with the personality he seems to have, made his sanity break," Isadora elaborated as the three girls paid her close attention.

"So to help him, each one of us must perform a task to not only cure him but also, avoid future troubles for him."

"You want me to use my ability on him?" Shokuhou inquired and Isadora shook her head.

"No, I will take care of that. What you must do is modify the memories of all the people he knows and are aware of the murders that occurred in this month."

"I knew it!" Kumokawa interrupted. "He shouldn't have left the hospital… It had something to do with the murders, doesn't it? That's why he ended up in this condition."

Those words stabbed Wannai in her heart. She allowed and even helped the boy leave the hospital.

It was her fault.

"I will not explain what caused this, only what you have to do," Shokuhou looked as irritated as her rival, but in the end, they both nodded. "Anyway, that is your task Mental-Out," The golden witch moved her focus to a black-haired girl. "You have a lot of connections for what I know, so use them and clean any information about these attacks from all the databases of this city."

Wannai raised an eyebrow, that girl called Kumokawa had a lot of connections? What did she mean by that? By the expression the busty-girl sported, it seemed that the girl that cosplayed as a witch was right.

"You know a lot of us… and I'm guessing you are not from this city," Kumokawa commented sternly. "Which would make you an intruder with too much information…"

"Maybe, maybe not… but I'm not intimidated by the snipers you have positioned in the nearby buildings. If I die, then the boy you know as Touma would not return. Not even Mental-Out would manage to cure him if she was to erase or modify his memories. His mental wounds go beyond that."

She was saying the truth. Being exposed to the End Magic had caused non-visible effects on the boy that only became present when he observed the death of Elise Anderson, hence his current mental breakdown.

"Fine…" Kumokawa accepted. That girl could be lying but she was not willing to risk the well-being of Kamijou Touma. Her words became more believable now that she mentioned that she was aware of the snipers on the adjacent buildings… Just how had she noticed that?

"And you girl… I know you just met him but a strong bond was created between you two," The witch's comment made Wannai fluster and the other two frown. "I will ask you to watch over him as he recovers from his physical injuries."

"OK…" She nodded quickly.

"But what are you going to do to cure him?" Kumokawa asked in concern.

Isadora Sprengel smirked.

"That… You do not need to know," The witch walked to the exit, but stopped near Wannai and moved her face near her ear.

"I was actually planning to ask Mental Out to erase your memories but that wouldn't be fair, considering what he had endured for you…" Isadora whispered softly. "At least, one of you should remember what happened in that alley… He indeed was impressive."

Wannai was startled, and the brown-haired girl only winked slyly at her reaction. How did she know what happened? About how had this boy saved her?

"Wait! I'm not gonna let you touch his mind! If someone was to do it, it should be me!" Shokuhou barked. "If erasing his memories is the cure, then I'm the most suited for doing it."

"I will not erase his memories… and I already told you, even if you did, that would not help him out of his mental disturbance," Isadora blinked as she remembered something and took out from a pocket a purple gem.

"Here is the list of people you should use your power on. They must forget anything related to these murders."

"How am I supposed to use this?" Shokuhou received the gem and took it near her eyes to observe it closely, it was pretty.

"Put it near you head for ten seconds and you will receive its contents."

The other two girls looked at the gem with eyes of curiosity, just what kind of technology is that? The three espers stared at the purple gem for some seconds and then returned their gaze to…

"Eh? Where did she go?"

The mysterious brown-haired girl had disappeared.

**Between the Lines 4**

"I must say, I'm quite pleased with your performance, little Miss Sprengel…" A masculine, yet feminine, young, yet old, pure, yet corrupt voice spoke to the only person standing in front of the huge cylinder. "As expected from someone that carries the same blood of Anna."

"Don't speak my great-great-grandmother's name!" Isadora said furiously. "You betrayed her, so you don't have the right to."

The golden witch couldn't tell but it seemed the odd being known as Aleister Crowley was smiling. She just arrived using an advance teleportation spell to give to him the report about the events involving Ragnarok.

"So was it really needed to ask Kumokawa Seria to clean the database? I was planning to do that if you have forgotten…" The witch glared at him darkly. "Is there something I should know?"

"I will not explain my reasons to you. I did what you asked me to and that should be enough."

The human whose life was maintained by machines and was floating upside-down chuckled, and it caused the girl to get wary. If the board chairman was to see her as an enemy, she would get killed for sure, but the presence of this human unnerved her, the sole existence of this human annoyed her.

The witch breathed deeply to control her ire; she was inside the main base of the enemy of Magic, the center of science, so she had to be careful. She gripped tightly her broom as she waited for an answer.

"It is enough. You have successfully avoided future confrontations from both sides. Everyone will know that the Golden Witch took down a troublesome magician."

Yes, science and magic existed, the balance between them existed and it would be broken if scientists defeated magicians or vice-versa. The Magic side would not remain with arms crossed knowing that Academy City claimed to have taken down their people. That is why Aleister Crowley called her to deal with the intruder of this city, Elise Anderson, member of the magic cabal Dusk Waiting to Awaken.

If a magician took down another magician, no confrontations would arise between both sides and the balance would be preserved.

"I will leave then… I'm sick of this place."

"But I would like to know something before you go," The witch tilted her head a bit while narrowing her eyes. "Why have you decided to just extract his memories instead of just eliminating them?"

The witch turned around and put a hand on the left pocket of her skirt, a gem was inside it, a gem that held Kamijou Touma's memories of the month of June.

His hunt for the monster that attacked women, the horrendous findings left by the murderer, his fight to save a girl from thugs, his confrontation against a gemstone. The death of the true killer, his acceptance of believing in magic, the fight to stop Ragnarok, the end of the world and finally, the horrible death of the true mastermind behind all these events.

Isadora took all those memories and introduced them inside the blue gem she had now on her pocket.

"Because he will need those memories in the future… but he is not ready for them… at least not for the time being," Isadora answered as she began to walk away from the cylinder. "But before anything, I need to cleanse them before returning his memories back to him, they are infected with End magic."

"I see..."

The odd tone on the **Human**'s voice made Isadora wonder what was he musing, but decided to leave it at that.

"I will ignore your plans for Touma, but I'm sure he will become a true force of good, despite being an esper from this city."

"You seem to regard him with pretty high standards, could it be that the time you spent with him caused something in you?"

"He is an esper and I am a magician, he is my enemy," Isadora answered instantly. "Elise Anderson knew that, so that's why she used that Gemstone and that mad esper to accomplish her goal.

The witch raised her broom and muttered some words, a purple circle appearing on the ground. "Just remember… I'm not your toy and neither he is. The time will come when you will have to accept that."

Aleister watched in silence as Isadora jumped to the purple circle and disappeared from the room.

"I certainly don't think so…"

**PART 20**

A soft bed, a silent room and some food waiting to be eaten on top of the bedside table was what a certain boy observed and then... Kamijou Touma looked through the window, the sunrays fell over nature as birds flew peacefully from one tree to other. The boy scratched his head in confusion.

"How… did I end up here?" Kamijou asked to himself as he stood up from his hospital bed.

The boy glanced around; his school clothes were hanging from a chair in front of the bed.

**o-0-O-0-o**

A spiky-haired boy dressed in his summer school uniform walked out of his hospital room. A girl with wavy-brown observed him from afar as she hid from his sight.

There was the Hero of Wannai Kinuho, her savior and the person she held great admiration for. The boy that saved her but was forced to forget in order to live like a normal person. He would not remember her despite risking his life for her.

Kamijou Touma had forgotten all what happened since he first found the third victim in that rainy day of June.

As much as Wannai wanted to walk to him and only say hello, she could not muster the courage to do so. Maybe it was because she was now only a stranger to him, or it would hurt if the boy ignored her or something along those lines.

She could only watch him walk away and do nothing.

* * *

Kamijou stood in front of the elevator as he waited for it to come. He had no idea who brought him to the hospital or what caused his visit to it again but it wasn't like he was going to stay there.

"What…" The boy during that time of June said…

* * *

"What…" The boy said again…

"What the hell are you talking about?" The current Kamijou Touma said to Misaka Mikoto, who was blaming him for who knows what.

Several times he had met her, and the mad girl attacked him for no apparent reason. A level 5 electromaster that called him a stalker and a pervert was obviously one of the worst things he had to deal with, and more with those insanely powerful attacks she tried to land on him. If it wasn't for his IB, he would be as fried as those chips that were sold in shops.

"Why do you keep feigning ignorance?"

Instead of answering, Kamijou did the only thing his mind was thinking. The boy dashed to the stairs as screams and shouts that came from the Railgun reached his ears.

"Geez… I'm so tired, and I still have to put up with this… Fukou da…"

The boy ran as he wondered what could have caused the third strongest of the level 5 of AC to think he stalked women.

Whatever it was, Kamijou was not in the mood to endure more crap. He had enough with that bomber blonde he just had left in the hospital and to escape from the insane ojou became his top priority.

How much would take him to lose the Railgun this time? Well, he was about to find out-

"Wait, you idiot! I was just joking!"

Between all her shouts, this one caused Kamijou to stop on his tracks and looked over his shoulder.

The electric girl neared his position, finally stopping in front of the boy as he turned around. Just when Kamijou expected her to say something, she leaned forward and supported herself by putting both hands over her knees as she panted heavily.

"Why... did you... make me... run... this much...?" The girl said weakly between pants, her eyes hidden under her bangs. "You... are a moron..."

"I'm a moron?" Kamijou deadpanned. "You have attacked me without no reason every time we met in the last few weeks," He crossed his arms, looking at her with eyes of displeasure. "Did you really expect any other kind of reaction?"

After a few seconds of catching her breath, Mikoto raised her head and looked at him, smiling sheepishly. Kamijou was startled; this was not the usual behavioural pattern this girl used to have when he came across the ojou.

"Well... those times I truly believed that you were a stalker."

Kamijou raised furrowed his brows.

"Does that mean you don't anymore?"

Mikoto shrugged her shoulders, looking at him with a neutral expression.

"I have discovered some stuff about what happened one month ago..."

(About what happened one month ago? Did something special occur that I'm ignoring?)

"What did you discovered exactly?"

"You wouldn't understand it anyway, so let's leave at that. But someone told me to mention to you this..." The boy looked at her expectantly. "Does 'Ragnarok' ring any bell?"

The boy mused and crossed his arms. The name she mentioned... it was not Japanese, so what was it? Why would that weird word ring any bell in his head? The Railgun sported a serious expression so she couldn't be trying to play him a prank, could she?

"I guess it doesn't..." The girl muttered after noticing the look of confusion on his face. "Anyway, I have something to ask you, Kamijou Touma."

"Mmm...? What...? And did I ever mention my name to you?"

Misaka Mikoto smiled evilly, making Kamijou gulp. Whatever it was, he knew it was not going to be any good.

* * *

**Now, you obviously had noticed the difference in the narrative of this chapter. You should know that once in a while, chapters of this type will come. It's a bit necessary because we need to see what is going on with other characters, and by thus complementing this story.**

**Beta's Note: And that's a wrap! You guys would not believe just how long I've been staring at my screen filled with words. Hell, I'm seeing them even now…**

**Anyways, I don't know about Itherael but I consider this as a belated Christmas present. For your information, Chapter 5 is almost twice as long as Chapter 4. I hope that the wait was worth it because the chapter sure took a bunch of work.**

**Aside from that, please Read and Review. It motivates both author and Betas if we know there are people reading this.**

**Until next time.**


	7. Faux CLOSURE

**A new update is finally here, though I have to apologize for taking this long. I lost 12 pages of this chapter and I had to rewrite them, but enough of that shit.**

**I wanted to address an important fact about MONSTER HUNT. Remember in NT11 that Seria mentioned that Touma can't handle well the death of someone? Elise's death was horrible, and he couldn't save her, also, he was late to save that girl and her teacher that were murdered by the killer, Kamijou cursed that and don't forget that Touma had been exposed to Ragnarok, twisting his perception. He truly entered hell when those screams of lament called his name while he was inside that tunnel of end magic. All these mixed together managed to break his mental sanity in the end. Isadora even mentioned that Touma's memories were infected by the End magic, that is why she took them from him Temporally.**

**Anyway, this chapter may seem like a filler but is important. For all those who love our busty favorite educator an also, a little gift to those reviewers that mentioned loving a certain Iron Wall Girl, well... this is YOUR chapter.**

**The Colors indicate a certain woman's mood, by the way.**

**Beta's Note:**

**Diller: Hi This is Diller the OG and best beta of this story! ****Jokes aside I first joined as a beta after chapter 2 when Itherael mentioned he needed one. Since then, I've been revising the chapters and adding new plot limes of my own to this story. Some of which you'll see below. So I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Tomonee: Here we are with another update, ready to go; this one is special to me though. Because my reward for being the 201st reviewer, which is also one of the reasons that I became a Beta for the story in the first place.**

**End of Beta Note.**

**Now, we return to the usual narrative, solely focused on our favorite protagonist. Open a tab o my profile and check the images and songs. They will be listed at the top so you can use them more easily. Also, the first cover is finally complete.**

**Enjoy!**

**\- Frank**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 06: Rainbow Dance: Faux__Closure_**

**PART 1**

Kamijou Touma was panting, his entire body sore. Simply put, he was extremely tired… Of course he was, considering his current situation.

"Damn…"

The reason behind one's fatigue would be exertion of one's body, which causes soreness in the joints, limbs and even bones, but also, the loss of mental focus and motivation. All this factors coupled by the lack of rest and Kamijou's current stress level was what made the boy curse bitterly as he let his body hit the grass beneath him, all energy finally leaving him.

He could only pant and let the events unfold.

"Hmm… well this was kind of a let-down…" A girl spoke behind him as her steps on the grass became more audible to Kamijou's ears. "Did you really manage to endure a fight against me? You don't seem at all like a guy who would."

Again, she was not making any sense.

"What… on earth…" The boy rolled his body, until his face remained seeing the night sky. "…are you talking about, Biri Biri?"

Nothing about this girl, the mad level 5 from Tokiwadai, made sense… just nothing…

Kamijou recalled the first time he had encountered her… It was inside the underground mall near the end of June.

**PART 2**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Song 01

* * *

_After using some of his free time to wander the **Underground Shopping mall** located in **District 7 **and before he went to patrol the streets, Kamijou was intercepted just before leaving the shopping maze by a brown-haired student from the same school as Shokuhou Misaki, a close…well__…__ currently not that close friend._

_The girl claimed that she would capture him for being a **stalker** along with her **witch-like** friend too._

_(Was she just insane? What kind of nonsense was she babbling about? Him… a stalker? And what was this about a witch friend?)_

_Kamijou obviously took her claim as some sort of joke and laughed heartily at it, which made the girl attack him all of a sudden. Several sparks of lighting appeared around her body, much to the boy's shock and made their way towards him. Thankfully, he managed to raise his right hand in time and negated the electric attack._

_Kamijou was surprised that his IB negated something like lightning, but knowing from his past experiences of fighting muggers that possessed esper abilities, it was understandable that the Imagine Breaker cancelled the attack, it was supernatural after all._

_Oddly, that development while unexpected to him, was not the case with the brown-haired ojou. She did not look surprised in the slightest… as if… she expected that to occur._

_Her next words were that she only let him go to stop that thing before it destroyed the **Windowless Building**. What thing? Did he meet this **Biri-biri** before? She talked like she knew him but Kamijou could not recall when… he could swear this was the first time he met her._

_More doubts emerged in his mind. Something tried to destroy the Windowless Building? But what was that building anyway? To him, it was just some sort of futuristic pillar located in the middle of District 7. __It had no doors or windows one could use to enter it, so it probably was some sort of advance mechanism for something or just a monument of some sort… Wait… Could the head of the board of directors really reside there like the rumors said? Or it was somewhere else…?_

_After negating some more lighting spears from her, the girl made a comment about his right hand that gave Kamijou the feeling that she had witnessed his ability before. Most of the time, when he used IB to negate a power, all his opponents were struck speechless, however, the electric shock user seemed calm and merely tsked._

_"The same result…" Mikoto growled. "I think I never had the chance to ask you, nor that annoying girl but… what is your level as an esper? I mean, you are a level 3 or 4, right?"_

_He contemplated her question in silence, but a grunt in front of him brought him back to reality. She just asked if he was a level 3 or 4? Man, she couldn't be more wrong._

_"A level 0… I am zero."_

_His gaze moved to the girl as his head still rested on the ground, she gave no reply or comment after his words so it made him curious. Why was she silent?_

_His inquiry was answered the moment he noticed the expression on her face._

_It showed surprise, confusion and shock. Whether that was good or not, he couldn't tell… Was there a reason for making such a face? He just told her the truth, he indeed was a **Zero**._

_"Are you kidding?"_

_The boy then furrowed his eyebrows at her odd reaction._

_"Do I look like I'm kidding?"_

_The brown-haired esper gritted her teeth, sparks flowing across her bangs. She became pissed all of a sudden… WHY?_

_"Who do you take me for? A kid from elementary school?" The electric girl put both hands on her hip as she leaned to him. "No level 0 can stop lightning; much less the amount of lightning a level 5 like me can produce."_

_"…Level 5? Y-you… you are a level 5? One of the only seven that exist in the city!?"_

_The brown-haired ojou smirked as if proud. Now that the boy thought about it, he had heard of an Electricity user that unnerved his friend Misaki at school. The blonde mentioned a level 5 that manipulated electricity as a rival for popularity in Tokiwadai, though Kamijou suspected that it was because they both were the only level 5 espers in that school._

_"Misaka Mikoto in the flesh, the third strongest of the level fives' in all of Academy City if you have forgotten," Misaka graced her hair with her left hand, electricity jumping around from the movement of her hand. "I just can't believe you forgot! You are so… Now, you better stop lying and saying that a 0 nullified my attacks!"_

_Kamijou scratched his cheek as he mused about his next answer. Actually, her line of thought made sense; level 0s had no ability whatsoever, or barely showed signs of having one. There was no way a level 0 could negate the attack of a level 5 like Kamijou did._

_The power program didn't detect any kind of ability on him, which was why he was labelled as a 0; however, it was always there, the Image Breaker was always in his right hand._

_"What do you want me to tell you?"_

_"The truth!" The ojou barked angrily._

_He was saying the truth, but how to prove it? Kamijou glanced around to see if there was any terminal around that they could use to verify his information but none were around._

_"Have you heard of this word… ehm… exception?" Kamijou replied with a slight tone of sarcasm. "I think there is a library around the corner if you are interested in what that means, Biri Biri."_

_"Kgh… Kgh!" The girl fumed as multiple sparks flew to the boy, but he just raised his right hand and nullified them before sighing. "What did you call me? My name is Misaka Mikoto!"_

_"Whatever you say, Biri Biri."_

_"Stop calling me Biri Biri, you… you sea urchin!" Biri Biri shouted back, tightening her hands into fists. "And stop saying you are a Zero, stalker!"_

_"What would I gain by saying that I'm a level 0? And that insult was uncalled for! I only called you Biri Biri, which is actually a cute name!" The boy said exasperatedly. "And why are you calling me a stalker anyway?"_

_"Because a stalker is someone who stalks! Isn't that obvious, sea urchin?"_

_Kamijou pointed his finger at her accusingly and raised his tone to answer._

_"Biri Biri, that certainly did not answer anything despite being a logical reply! What makes you think I'm a stalker, what prove do you have to demonstrate I'm one?"_

_The girl put a hand on her hip and a thoughtful finger on her chin. Did she seriously have proof that could verify that he stalked women?_

_"I found you near that crime scene. Don't tell me you have forgotten that," Biri Biri scowled, raising an eyebrow. "And then with that suspicious girl… I told you I would catch you the next time we meet."_

_Kamijou scratched his head in confusion. What crime scene? Did they really meet before or she was just delusional? What was going on? When did she tell him anything? Have they really met before…?_

_No, he didn't remember her at all…_

_She must be wrong. Maybe she was talking to the wrong person, someone who looked awfully similar to him so this could be a misunderstanding._

_"I seriously don't have idea of what you are talking about."_

_Misaka narrowed her eyes, more sparks flowing through her body. It seemed that she was not buying his words, even worse; it seemed that she was only getting angered by them._

_"Arg! You are going to keep playing the fool!? I can't believe it!" Biri Biri pointed an accusing finger to him. "If you won't accept your guilt, then I will make you do it by force."_

_"Oh geez…"_

_Several electric devices and mechanisms in the area were suspiciously rendered useless that day._

**PART 3**

Kamijou crossed his arms as he sat on the ground, his mind finally returning to the present.

"Sorry, sorry. I don't know why I keep forgetting that you… Anyway, I supposed that was it, right?" Misaka said finally, relieving the boy a bit. "You looked a bit battered in the first place so I suppose we could leave this fight for some other time."

Great… just great… to think that he already had a pending duel with Kongou, only to have this mad ojou wanting to fight him too. Could he be more unfortunate?

"I can't tell if I should be happy about that or not…" Kamijou muttered, earning a scowl from Biri Biri. "Fine… whatever you want… I'll fight you some other day if that's what you want."

"You say it like you're doing me a favor, I have a lot in my mind too, you know… You would not believe it," Kamijou deadpanned as the girl now talked to him casually, which obviously irked him a bit. "There are these two… eh… people that… well…"

"You don't need to say anything," Kamijou interjected, sporting a stony expression. "It's not my business… right?"

The brown-haired level 5 gave him a glare that only lasted a couple of seconds before shaking her head.

"I guess you are right… you wouldn't understand anyway…"

Kamijou twitched an eyebrow this time. Why did she keep saying that he wouldn't understand? Exactly what couldn't he understand? Though it unnerved him to have these doubts, like why she said that he fought her before or that he had a friend that looked like a witch, the boy chose to not ask her anything else.

His current desire was to return to his dorm and hit the sack, no more.

"Can I go now? It's very late," The boy grunted while making an effort to stand up. "I think you have a curfew if I'm not mistaken," Said the boy, recalling what Kongou mentioned about the scary Tokiwadai Dorm Manager.

**Biri Biri** blinked before her face visibly paled.

"T-t-the curfew! Oh no!" The girl panicked as she apparently remembered it, looking quite scared. "I-I-I'll see you around!"

With that, the ojou raced at high speeds away from the abandoned lot while Kamijou only waved his hand to her, a chuckle escaping his lips. It seemed that all Tokiwadai students feared that woman, making the boy curious about her. Maybe someday he'll meet her.

The boy massaged his neck as he began to move… slowly. His destination, the Kamijou Residence.

**PART 4**

He did not feel like new but a certain pointy-haired boy could admit that his rest was quite invigorating. He not only recovered his energy, his mood was improved quite a bit. Despite all the events from yesterday, the boy was actually in high spirits and eager to see what would happen during today's training.

Even if the Railgun had finally realized he was no stalker, there were many questions regarding what she said.

According to her, they have met before; they have even fought for some reason. She mentioned something about a crime and she called him a stalker the first time they met, so could it be that him being a 'stalker' and the 'crime scene' are related?

**Misaka Mikoto** knew a lot more than she was letting on, that was obvious, but what was it? What was he ignoring or not remembering? The situation brought a fear he was trying to put aside, but keep reappearing in his mind.

There was the chance that his memories had been… compromised.

Many possibilities were plausible with this worrisome theory. One was that he was hit on his head during the many fights he had with delinquents or the one he supposedly had with Biri Biri, causing a possible memory loss. Another could be that someone that had mind control abilities altered his mind or took those memories for some reason, though this one seemed very unlike to happen. Who would be interested in messing with the head of a nobody like him? He did not possess any knowledge that could prove useful to anyone.

A prank, maybe?

_(Misaki… Nah… I don't think she would do something like this, though considering what she did in the past… I could not rule out the possibility of her being guilty for a possible memory loss… Although she DID mention trying to mess with my head when we first met a long time ago and was unsuccessful... Wait, she did manage to in the end... But I don't think she would ever try to do something like that again.)_

Also, Kamijou had asked to his classmates if something worth mentioning happened to him, he even asked about a crime but they all said everything was as normal. The Delta Force making a fuss, the Iron Wall Girl punching them as usual, the scary punishments of the petit teacher and he apparently assisted every class during a time he could not remember much about.

Yes, he missed school a lot in the past but everyone, including him knew that. So what about the first days of June?

In the end, the boy chose to ignore this given the fact that everyone's testimony indicated that nothing out of the ordinary occurred during that time, however, he was not so sure anymore.

Whatever it was, he would have to dig in. Something was not right and it bothered him.

"There is no use over-thinking this, I'll have to look into this matter later, Tsukino is probably waiting…"

Kamijou sighed and then readied himself for today's training.

**PART 5**

"Well, today wasn't that bad…" A certain pointy-haired boy commented to himself as he walked in the streets of District 7, smiling as he did.

It was late.

After the rough training of the mad girl known as a legend inside Anti-Skill, **Tsukino Yui**, Kamijou had fell asleep on the training grounds. The boy awoke alone on the same spot he last remembered being when the training ended due to the cold winds of the nearing night.

The boy was extremely tired, but somewhat happy because of the message he received during the battering he got from the white-haired girl. The message was from his dad, **Kamijou Touya**.

**Hey Touma, I just sent you your allowance for this month. You don't need me to repeat myself, do you? Don't spend the money on nonsense, use it wisely. Mom and Otohime told me that they are going to hug you a lot when we see each other again, so be prepared. Hahaha!**

**Also, when are you going to present us your girlfriend? Because you have one at this point, right? Hahaha! I'll be looking forward to meet her!**

Actually, the last part of the message irritated him.

So before heading to his dorm, Kamijou planned to use an ATM to retrieve his long-awaited money. Finally, he would eat some decent food for a change. He had been eating only leftovers these past few days.

"Hm?" An ATM machine appeared within his sight. Some people were waiting in a line to use it. "Geez, if I wasn't that tired, I would search for another one but hey, what the heck."

Kamijou stood at the tail of the line and waited several minutes until they became five, then ten and after fifteen minutes, it was finally his turn.

The boy supported himself on the machine and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. It was time, the money he so much needed was in front of him, money he had plans for, nothing big but he was looking forward to spending some of it.

After retrieving the ATM card from his wallet, Kamijou inserted it into the slot of the machine, or at least, he tried to. For some reason the card was not entering and it irked the boy.

"Aw c'mon!" Kamijou pushed the card for some seconds until it finally entered. "…I probably wouldn't have done that… I have a bad feeling…"

To his relief, a message appeared on the screen of the machine, signalling him to proceed with the operation… Despite forcing the card inside, it appeared the machine received it as normal. Kamijou sighed as his worry evaporated; maybe everyone forced the card in this ATM.

Kamijou continued with the steps to retrieve the deposited money in his account, and it soon appeared from another slot of the ATM. Kamijou grabbed the money hurriedly and observed it closely.

"Yes! I'm not broke anymore!" Kamijou shouted excitedly, making a closed fist, his eyes closed as a wide smile spread across his face. "5000 yen are on my hands! Whohoo!"

Gladly, there was no one else waiting to use the machine, it would have been embarrassing if someone saw him screaming like that. And a couple of minutes passed as he celebrated.

"Well then, time to go home," Kamijou put the money safely inside his wallet and pressed the last button to retrieve his card and… It didn't come out.

…

…

…

"Don't tell me…" He pressed the button again but nothing. "Not again, dammit! I should have known this was going to happen! Such misfortune!"

A message on the screen appeared; it said there has been a failure in the system much to his annoyance. This was the sixth time his ATM card ended up stuck in the machine after inserting it; of course, he knew the one at fault was his luck destroyer, the bloody Imagine Breaker.

"Geez… now I'm going to have to call a specialist again and wait like an hour… Such rotten luck!"

"Don't get desperate; I can help you with that."

Kamijou blinked as a female voice he thought was familiar came from his left, followed by the sound of footsteps. The wind blew a bit as something else that was coloured white also came into his vision. A sweat drop emerged from his forehead as he stared at the unexpected sight.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Picture 01

* * *

A girl with long dark-blue hair and matching eyes looked at him with uncertainty, probably because Kamijou was looking at her white underwear that only became visible due to the wind lifting her red square-striped skirt. She also wore a brown vest over a white shirt and a ribbon of the same style of her skirt. Long black stockings and black school shoes completed her outfit.

Obviously, she was a student, though he couldn't tell what school she belonged to.

The girl ignored the fact that he saw her underwear and stood at his side casually, observing the screen of the ATM closely. Kamijou glanced at her briefly; well she was another cutie with quite an attractive body.

Kamijou pondered a bit. Since the last few days, he has met many beautiful members of the opposite sex, making Kamijou almost think of himself as fortunate.

However, the problem was all of them were not normal one way or the other, some admittedly more than others. Even his teachers! How could he call himself lucky if all the girls he met ended up wanting to beat him silly, make fun of him, tease him or just plain insulting him? Could this mysterious girl be any different?

"You can…?" The boy inquired. "I don't know how but… well, be my guest."

If she really could help him, there was no way he was going to reject the chance of solving his current dilemma. The blue-haired girl frowned and then nodded, smiling oddly as she pointed her cell to the ATM.

"Category 002 / Examine the indicated machine," Said the girl after pressing a button of her cell.

A minute passed.

"…Sssso?" He asked and suddenly, her eyes shone a faint green. "What the!?"

"Category 059 / Repair any damage in the indicated machine's hardware server and reboot the system."

Kamijou remained stunned as the machine turned off while her shining eyes returned to normal, his ATM card appeared on the slot of the machine.

"Done!" She said cheerfully. "It was just a-"

"A failure in the system due to it being overloaded by others operations done across the main server," To her surprise, the boy continued, staring at her blankly.

"How did you know?"

Kamijou furrowed an eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"You talked like you knew…" He sighed wearily. "Anyway, this has happened to me so many times that I can remember exactly what the specialists told me when this occurred."

"Oh, that sounds very unlucky," She put a thoughtful finger of her chin. "Though I wonder why the Failure Transparency didn't redirect you to another server. If we were in another country, I would not be surprised if it didn't work because almost all networks in any distributed systems are unreliable, but here in Academy city, a definitive software was created to..."

And so, the girl continued to use a bunch of technobabble while Kamijou blinked in awe and shook his head a little as the conversation soon flew way over his head and eventually kind of sounded like an alien language to him.

"Wait a minute; I'm not getting anything you're saying…" Kamijou raised a stopping hand as he finally spoke and then took his ATM card and put it inside his wallet. "But I do appreciate what you did for a stranger like me. Thanks."

The blue-eyed girl tilted her head while blinking, eventually… She just smiled.

"Nothing has changed; you're still the same… Your luck is still the same…" She muttered, making him narrow his eyes. "You truly don't remember, do you…? Our promise… Or even me for that matter."

Kamijou blinked in shock.

"Have… we met before?"

"I'm not entirely sure anymore… Maybe I'm just lying to myself, believing that all our time together truly existed… For all I know, it could have just been a mere illusion created by that hateful ojou to make my life miserable…" Her voice became dark all of a sudden. "No matter how many times she apologizes, I will never forgive her…"

This sounded awfully familiar, maybe she was the one…?

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Song 02

* * *

"You didn't come here to say that you forgave her, didn't you?" His question surprised her; Kamijou knew well what was happening now. "I have waited all this time for a girl to tell me that, even if I was forcefully made to forget her name, her face, her eyes… her smile." Kamijou paused for a bit and smiled at the girl. "I waited, because I needed to hear that she did not harbor feelings of hatred anymore."

"To make her apologize to me even if you didn't know how I looked, that's just so like you, Touma," Said the girl, smiling weakly. "But I haven't, and I don't know if I ever will. I would have preferred to avoid talking to you again, but I just couldn't watch you suffering because of your bad luck, so I guess…"

Kamijou averted his gaze to the side, unable to look at her anymore.

"I'm sorry I couldn't control the situation, I couldn't stop her in time… I'm so sorry…"

The girl blinked in mild surprise, blinking at his unexpected words, a soft shade of red spread across her cheeks as she gripped her pink cell phone tightly.

"You did what you could; her jealousy was what made it go all wrong. I'm not the only one who lost something here, Touma. You lost things too…" She looked about to cry. "I lost… you…"

Those words pierced though his chest, truly they did. Kamijou widened his eyes and sighed after a few moments, putting both hands in his pockets. This situation was making him feel depressed, but even worse was that all her words seemed empty to him.

Even if they were close once, her face was now unknown to him and all he felt towards her was pity, nothing more than that.

At the time, after several events had ended, Kamijou tried to make things right, but the mysterious girl rejected his proposal, and chose to disappear. However, before she did, he made her promise that once the anger in her heart disappeared, she would come back to him and say that everything was alright.

Even when the girl whose face he had forgotten last spoke to him through a cell he found abandoned in a certain park, he believed that she would someday fulfill her promise.

"But I'm fine now," The girl spoke again and turned around, giving him her back. "It's late, I should get going."

"You are going to leave? Without telling me your name…?"

"I don't want to…" She responded instantly, her voice shaky. "I don't want to lose you again…" Kamijou was startled, just how close were they?

"But just you know… I'm always watching you."

The girl run away as he remained stunned, thinking about her last words… They sounded like…

"I'm Kamijou Touma! Nice to meet you!" He shouted and the girl stopped for a few seconds running away again until she was out of sight.

Kamijou stared aimlessly for a few seconds at the dark street ahead of him before his eyes moved to the object in his hand, a wallet with 5000 yen inside. Discouraged, his shoulders sagged, the money no longer brought a smile on him.

**PART 6**

An unfortunate boy opened his eyes slowly, a white ceiling coming into his vision.

"…I don't want to get up…" Kamijou rubbed his sleep-filled eyes. "Geez…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

**White**

"No training today?" Kamijou asked as he observed his surroundings, boys and girls of varied ages moved from one place to another across Judgement's training field, they were making their drills alongside adults that he could tell were from Academy City's police, Anti-Skill.

Unlike the other days of training, this place sure looked quite lively with so many people around.

"Yes, Yui had some matters to attend to so… yeah, there will be no training today," Answered Yomikawa casually, who was a couple of steps away from him.

_(Geez… Just when I needed it to distract my mind a bit, I guess I'll go to school then.)_

**White**

"If you are thinking about going to school, I would recommend you to refrain from doing so…"

_(What the, she read my mind again!? She's not an esper so how!?)_

"How did you-?"

"Know?" She completed his question, earning another surprised expression from him.

"I suppose I'm beginning to imagine what you would think in any given situation. Not saying that I would be always correct, but… you know… it's like a hobby I'm starting to have."

"That's just a plain scary hobby... not to mention creepy!" Kamijou pointed out dumbly. "Also, saying that I should not go to school… Is that something a teacher should do? I mean, I remember hearing about a gang delinquent that became professor in Tokyo that usually told that to his students, I think his name was Onizu-"

Kamijou stopped himself upon noticing Yomikawa's creepy blank stare.

**Yellow**

"Are you calling me a delinquent?"

Kamijou shook his head dismissively, then letting a tiny smile form on his face.

"Not really, though the rumors say that he used to say that kind of stuff to his students."

The woman folded her arms, sporting a stern expression that lasted only some seconds, then, it became that odd smile Kamijou was beginning to fear, it only meant trouble.

**Pink**

"Though if I was one, I could do whatever I want to my students…" Kamijou paled at her implications, the tone she used was just… wrong. "Just kidding!"

The boy sighed.

"You know what, from now on I'll be refraining from making any comment that could be taken wrong," Kamijou shook his head with a dumb expression. "What was I thinking anyway? Mentioning gangster teachers to you… really…"

**Green**

Yomikawa chuckled, and gave him a kind-looking stare, which ironically was kind of intimidating.

"When I said that you should not attend classes, I only did it to save you a headache. Even I can understand what it means to study at night without being well-rested," She put a hand on her hip. "Tonight's classes will cover the same subjects as from the school, so if you want to have the same class twice, that's fine by me. Remember though, we will have classes tonight no matter what. I don't care if you decide to go to school; we will have them either way."

"No school classes for me today!" Kamijou exclaimed nervously.

With a cat like grin on her face, Yomikawa laughed a bit.

**Pink**

"So now that you have some free time for yourself, how about we do something…?"

"Something?" Said Kamijou startled by her odd, yet soft tone. "Sensei, didn't we just drop the subject about doing the same class twice? If I chose to NOT go to school, that was because I DON'T want to repeat the same class. I don't really need extra lessons from you, sensei. To have them at night is enough for me."

**White**

Yomikawa blinked a couple of times, shrugging her shoulders. Something was amiss with her, that much Kamijou could tell.

"Why did you just think of extra lessons…? It's nothing like that," Yomikawa paused, looking nervous. "When I said something, I was thinking about… I don't know, hang out… maybe?"

While grimacing, Kamijou stared at her with mild curiosity. There was definitely something amiss with her.

"Hang out?" He repeated slowly while staring at her blankly.

**Pink**

"Y-yeah… We could have breakfast and the do some stuff like… sightseeing… shopping…"

The pointy-haired boy furrowed an eyebrow at her unexpected request. Seriously, this woman indeed had the natural ability to startle him to the point that it was always uncomfortable, whether it was words or actions.

Surely enough, the woman was accomplishing that right now.

"Sightseeing?" Kamijou rolled his eyes. "C'mon sensei! We're in the city of science! What is there to see that is not technological stuff?" Asking that, he deadpanned. "It would make no sense to go sightseeing around this city unless we visited the Endymion."

Surprisingly, Yomikawa crossed one arm and put a finger on her chin as she supported her limb on the other. She looked as if she was considering his suggestion which, to be honest , wasn't one. It just came to his head to make a remark about her odd request.

**Green**

"Actually, that's not a bad idea, and we could go and grab something to eat later," She smiled. "I know a good place where we could go. I assure you, the food is great, you won't be disappointed."

Kamijou scratched his cheek in suspicion, thinking about her proposal. Could this be another of her pranks? After all the time he spent with her, he kind of got used to her teasing… Well not really, but he knew she only did it to lighten things up.

And it wasn't like he had anything better to do at the moment, so why not?

"Hmm… I suppose I could take this day to relax a bit," Kamijou folded both arms, smirking as he nodded to himself. "Sure, let's go and-"

**Bright Green**

"Great!" Exclaimed the woman unexpectedly, her reaction seeming rather childish. "Let's meet up at the Seventh Mist. You know where it is, right?"

"Sensei…" Kamijou addressed her seriously. "You're acting a bit weird. Am I missing something…?"

**White**

Yomikawa gave him a blank stare before smiling warmly. It was at times like this when he could succumb to her beauty, but hell, her hotness was dangerous so he shook his head and regained his composure.

**Pink**

"Touma, Touma. What am I going to do with you…?" The woman dropped her gaze to the ground, still smiling as she brushed part of her hair behind her ear. "Actually… there is a lot I could do with you..."

While raising an eyebrow, Kamijou blinked in shock because he could sense some malice in her tone.

"You what?"

"Nothing!" Was the suspiciously quick reply Yomikawa gave him.

Suspicion, yes, it was suspicion that was filling his mind. Kamijou was absolutely sure he heard something scary, or at least something around those lines.

"So… we're going to meet at the Seventh Mist, right?" Kamijou inquired, seeking confirmation. "Wouldn't it be better to go now? Unless you have something to do first…"

**Green**

"I'm wearing my jersey, so I need to get properly dressed," She smiled bashfully. "You should make sure to get properly dressed too."

Before Kamijou could reply, the busty woman headed off to the entrance of the training field, leaving a confused teen standing alone, well, not really, but the other students just ignored him so in a sense, yes... he was alone.

"Properly dressed? I am properly dressed, aren't I?" He scratched his cheek until something occurred to him, making him deadpan. "She didn't tell me the time of our meeting, did she?"

**PART 7**

"The Seventh Mist, huh? It's been some time since I last visited this place."

A spiky-haired boy commented to himself as he stood in front of a large building in school district 7.

**The Seventh Mist**, a shopping mall of several stories tall known for its vast selection of shops, restaurants, recreation facilities and the like. Not only was it located in the one of the most important shopping districts of Academy City but it was also popular for having many foreign-related facilities.

If any student would think of a good place to have a good time or buy just about anything, it would be the Seventh Mist for sure; even someone who barely has a social life like him knew it. Kamijou came to this mall often to purchase any new interesting manga that came out.

"I suppose I'm on time," Kamijou glanced around the area and opened his cell to check the time. "10.58 huh… Man, I hope she isn't late… The sun is burning me and the heat is unbearable..."

After Yomikawa left, the boy returned to his dorm to take a nap, obviously setting an alarm to wake him up after an hour has passed. The ringing of his cell took him out of yet another weird dream he was having, though, it wasn't his alarm but his sensei calling him.

Pretty much, the call was about telling him that they would meet at 11a.m. in front of the Seventh Mist.

"This place is way too hot, geez…"

There was no sign of the woman appearing any time soon much to his dismay, so the boy sought refuge from the sunlight under the cover of a tree located near the structure's main entrance.

Kamijou leaned on the tree and waited for several minutes.

Soon, a woman with a striking figure came into sight from a street to the left, instantly catching not only his attention, but also every male that put his eyes on her as she was extremely hot!

As the attractive woman moved on closer to his position, Kamijou couldn't help getting nervous.

The sexy woman was wearing a dark green dress with an audacious neckline that could delight any man by just looking at her amazing cleavage. The short skirt of her dress allowed him to stare at her long beautiful legs to his heart's content. Her long dark-bluish hair spread to the sides and…

"Huh…? …HUH!?" Kamijou's jaw dropped when his eyes met the face of the sexy woman, completely stunning him.

The sexy bombshell was no other than his sensei, **Yomikawa Aiho**.

Her hair was not tied like usual, and she was wearing makeup and wore earrings. The woman looked more beautiful and mature than ever. There was no sign of the tomboy teacher anywhere, which was quite startling… Kamijou knew she was hot, but now she looked gorgeous.

**Green**

Yomikawa noticed him standing by the tree and walked directly to him.

"Touma," She smiled brightly but then blinked. "I thought you would change your clothes. Anyway, sorry for being late, traffic was hectic and my taxi driver was a bit paranoid about car accidents, so you can imagine how slow he chose to drive his cab."

Being this close, Kamijou stared at her, his cheeks began to feel warm, indicating him that he was getting embarrassed while they exchanged glances. She then blinked, looking a bit confused, making him realize his current situation. He became dazed by just looking at her.

"Oh! Erm… you don't need to apologize, sensei, I just arrived a couple of minutes ago," Kamijou cringed inwardly at his cliché response. This particular line was always used in dates but it worked just fine in this kind of situation.

"Besides, it's not like we are on a date or something so don't sweat it."

**Black**

After saying that, Kamijou chuckled as he expected the woman to do the same. Oddly, she never did. On the contrary, it seemed that he made her angry instead, who was now staring at him with cold eyes.

…

…

…

Kamijou gulped at her emotionless, yet intimidating gaze. "Is something wrong?"

"As dense as ever I see," The woman sighed. "But I guess that's part of your charm."

The boy frowned slightly as the woman turned around and glanced at him over her left shoulder.

**Dark Green**

"C'mon, let's go," She finally said, her smile weak.

Confused, Kamijou just remained immobile as many doubts clouded his mind. What was she talking about now? Why did it always seem like he is ignoring something when talking to any girl or woman? Women were always so hard to understand, they were the ultimate mystery… at least for him.

Shaking his head to regain his composure, Kamijou followed reluctantly after the woman.

**o-0-O-0-o**

**Yellow**

"But didn't I tell you that we would be having breakfast together?"

An unfortunate teen scratched his cheek nervously due to the absurd complaint of his educator, Yomikawa Aiho, was giving him now.

"Well…" The boy began. "I assumed that if we were going to meet at eleven, we would have breakfast at home," Kamijou explained, uncertain on why the woman would get upset for something as silly as that.

**Red**

Both teacher and student were currently sitting at a table inside a certain maid café Kamijou had visited before, his instincts telling him to avoid mentioning his little experience at the café. When Yomikawa recommended a place to go to, he didn't imagine it would be… this place. Even when he had money, it was still painful to remember how he spent so much money for that clumsy girl, though he didn't really regret it.

It was also a surprise to see how his sensei was greeted by the maids, who called her Yomikawa-sama, which meant that she came to eat at this café often.

As expected, murmurs began amongst the maids when they saw him entering the establishment with Yomikawa. Kamijou recognized some of them from the last time he was here when they surrounded him after helping… Su…Su…Suzuki… was it?

"Touma, you are so…" The sexy woman sighed, and then pouted… Did she just pout?

"Sensei, please don't make such a fuss, I still have room for some more. I'll order something too."

**Brown**

Yomikawa observed him in silence, eventually dropping her gaze and averting it to the side.

"Fine… but stop calling me sensei… at least for now. I don't need to keep being reminded that I'm your teacher."

Kamijou frowned, and then nodded slowly. The busty woman has been acting weird since early morning. Now it was as if she was upset for something he apparently did.

"So… what will be your order, Yomikawa-sama," A blond maid, the same that lead both of them to their table, spoke with a sweet tone.

Yomikawa glanced at her dryly before giving a quick read to the menu.

"I'll have your special omelet rice."

_(Tch… I hate that dish…)_

The maid waitress wrote her order in a small pink notebook and directed her eyes to the wary boy and gave him a charming smile.

"What about you, Touma-sama? What is going to be your order today?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Song 03

* * *

**Red**

If he didn't know it before, this was the exact moment that made Kamijou realize that agreeing to eat with her at this place was a bad idea, a REALLY bad one.

Yomikawa raised an eyebrow in surprise before glaring at him. The boy just remained silent.

How did she know his name anyway? Maybe Suzuki or that scary redhead told her. Now… his next doubt was: Why was she calling him by his first name? Now that he thought about it, Kamijou remembered the blond as the one invading his personal space during the commotion of the broken dishes. However, that still wasn't a good reason for her to talk to him as if they were close.

"I… I'll have some orange juice please."

**Red**

Yomikawa hardened her gaze. "I thought you said that-"

"Yes… but when I said I had some room for more, I didn't mean that much room."

**Scarlet**

Yomikawa stared at him for a few uncomfortable moments without giving any kind of reply while the maid just sweat-dropped and wrote his order. Kamijou suspected it wouldn't be that hard for the blond maid to notice their uncomfortable situation.

"You are unbelievable, Touma."

"Ehem… So would that be all?" Kamijou could sense the fake sweet tone of the maid that called their attention. She was smiling despite the uncomfortable atmosphere around them… Well, at least forcing a smile.

"Yes, that would be all, thanks."

The maid nodded gracefully and turned around winking slyly at him over her shoulder before she left, which startled him.

**Red**

"I…" Kamijou moved his attention back to the woman that emanated a dangerous aura. "I think I forgot to tell you that I came here before…"

"I… noticed…" The woman replied, her voice deathly sharp.

"Sen- I mean, Yomikawa…san?" Kamijou addressed the woman cautiously. "Did I do something wrong?"

**Dark Red**

"You never do anything wrong, you just never do anything… like always…" The woman muttered bitterly.

Confused, Kamijou narrowed his gaze at her weird reaction. What did she mean by that?

**Dark Blue**

Several minutes passed then as the woman just kept a bored look, avoiding his gaze. She was completely ignoring him now, leaving Kamijou with only the option of observing his surroundings as they waited for their food.

_(Man… what is her problem? I better avoid talking to her for now…)_

And thus the uncomfortable silence continued…

Kamijou blinked upon noticing some of the maids gathered in a small group, one of them was the redhead that explained to him Suzuki's problem, and the blond that just attended them was also in the group. They looked like they were gossiping about… him?

A chill ran down his spine, making him shake his head as he looked somewhere else. He couldn't see the clumsy maid anywhere… maybe she wasn't here today?

Suddenly, an oppressive aura came from behind him, making him freeze up. Kamijou gathered his courage and turned his head slowly, sweating a bit as he did. He expected to see Maika's scary friend Kurosawa, but to his shock, it was the not so clumsy-looking-anymore **Suzuki Hana** who was standing disturbingly close to him.

The girl moved and stood at his side. Kamijou blinked and moved his eyes upward to meet a lifeless gaze staring intensely at him.

"Kamijou-sama…" The boy could literally see a cold breeze coming out of her mouth when she spoke with a monotonous voice. It was disturbing to say the least.

"S-Suzuki-san?" Kamijou gulped, for some reason it looked as if she swapped personalities with the scary girl, Kurosawa. This is not how he remembered her, where was the cute and clumsy girl he met a few days ago?

"I see Kamijou-sama has come here with his… date…"

The spiky-haired boy deadpanned, when a sudden urge to laugh threatened to make him burst out in laughter. Which at the moment would not be a good idea considering the mood of his… 'date'.

"Date?" Kamijou chuckled slightly. "Where did you get that impression from? She isn't my da-"

**Scarlet**

The boy stopped himself; another death glare was being directed at him.

"S-She isn't?" Surprisingly, her eyes returned to normal, as did her kind personality. "I'm sorry… I-I misunderstood everything…"

**Scarlet**

While the smile Suzuki gave him calmed a certain boy's heart, the dark glare directed at him wiped out any tranquillity he would have felt. The glare certainly rang alarms in his head.

"Mm… s-so…" The Maid's face was visibly red. "If you'll excuse me Kamijou-sama…"

Suzuki bowed respectfully and left them.

**Red**

Kamijou crossed his arms as he looked at anywhere except Yomikawa, he didn't dare to see what expression she was sporting. The boy observed many clients, all of them looking happy… unlike him.

And so, the uncomfortable silence continued…

**Blue**

The boy finally gathered his courage and looked across the table, Yomikawa looked a bit depressed, only keeping her gaze on the table, making Kamijou frown. He sighed, knowing that she still didn't want to talk.

The uncomfortable silence continued…

"T-T-T-TOUMA-SAMA!"

"HAI?" Kamijou sweat dropped as he looked at the source of the sudden shout.

It was Suzuki, who was carrying a small circular tray with his orange juice on it, alongside the blonde maid who was a couple of steps behind. She carried Yomikawa's food.

"He-here is T-T-Touma-sama's order!"

The girl shakily put his drink on the table while the other maid did it elegantly, placing Yomikawa's omelet in front of the woman together with a tall glass with some red liquid.

**Orange**

_(Why is she calling me by my name now? And strawberry juice? When did she order that? Wait… I shouldn't be thinking about that now...)_

"Thanks!/Thank you…" Both student and professor said as the blonde finished readying their table.

"It's always an honor to serve Touma-sama and his acquaintances!" The blond bowed slightly, followed by her nervous companion. "Isn't, Hana-chan?"

**Red**

"Y-yes!" Suzuki stuttered, which Kamijou had to admit was cute. "It's always a pleasure to attend Ka-K…T-T-Touma-sama!"

**Scarlet**

*Crack!*

"Crack?" Kamijou repeated, looking towards Yomikawa with a startled expression. "Yomikawa-san?"

The cracking sound came from the glass Yomikawa was gripping. It looked like the glass was cracking from her sheer strength, which was apparent from her strong grip on it.

**Brown**

Yomikawa looked tense, but it didn't last long as the woman noticed his shocked expression, blinking in confusion and finally realizing what was going on.

"Oh…" She blinked again. "I'm… I'm sorry… I'll pay for the glass; put it on the bill… please."

"It will be done…" The blond replied, sweat-dropping while Suzuki was just astonished. "I'll bring you another glass."

**Dark Blue**

"Please, do…" Said the woman, dropping her gaze again.

Kamijou refrained from commenting about the unsettling event, she was obviously pissed. However, this time it wasn't him who caused it because he did not say anything at all, so what was it now? What was with her today?

"…A-anyway, I hope you enjoy your food… and drink… I'll be back with a new glass right away," While carefully handling the useless glass, the blonde maid put in on her tray. Thankfully, the liquid didn't leak from the cracked container. "We will be here if should you need anything else."

"Right!" The grey-haired maid responded cheerfully, and after that, both left.

And yet again, the uncomfortable silence continued…

**Dark Blue**

Kamijou enjoyed the orange juice, it was refreshing. Yomikawa, on the other side, barely touched her food.

_(Man, this is getting irritating.)_

Kamijou mused in annoyance. She was happy, then mad, then sad, then mad and now sad again? Do women usually have these kinds of abrupt changes of moods? There was the chance that it was her time of the month where she and all women had… well… that thing…

"Kyah!"

Kamijou quickly moved his eyes to the source of the shout, and… sighed. Suzuki had just stumbled upon a tall man, causing her to fall on her butt. He stood up and walked towards her.

**Purple**

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Picture 02

* * *

Suzuki looked at him, her cheeks became red of embarrassment as she passed her thumb across her lips, while Kamijou just sweat-dropped as he tried to force a smile. She indeed was as clumsy as he remembered. Gladly, she only carried a tray this time so no broken dishes today… phew!

"I'm sorry, nee-chan… I didn't see you," The man to whom Suzuki stumbled into offered a helping hand.

"Komaba-sama," The maid accepted his help and stood to her feet. "I was a bit distracted, too."

The bulky man nodded as Kamijou glanced at him curiously. He wore a black-leather jacket and pants of the same color, pretty much looking like a member of a biker gang. He was surprisingly kind for someone that dressed himself like that; he honestly thought that this imposing dude would react violently.

"You seem fine enough," The man chuckled as he looked at Kamijou with an amused face. "Is he the one distracting you lately?" Suzuki was flushed by his odd comment, earning another chuckle from him and a confused look from the boy. "Good bye, Suzuki-chan, and you, don't make her cry or I'll give you a good beating," Komaba smirked before walking out of the café.

The boy couldn't help smiling as the maid covered her face with her hands… What was that man talking about anyway?

**Yellow**

A few seconds passed and Yomikawa ran to the entrance of the café, looking quite troubled.

"Sensei! What's wrong?" After walking to her side, Kamijou asked worriedly.

**Orange**

"He's gone…" Yomikawa commented bitterly.

"Who's gone? Are you referring to that man?"

The busty woman sighed, her face now showed annoyance.

"Touma, you just met Komaba Ritoku, a leader of one of the largest groups of Skill-Out and one of the most wanted fugitives by Anti-Skill."

"What…?" The clumsy maid, who also walked to them, said in disbelief. "He is from Skill-Out?"

Suzuki was as shocked as Kamijou. Sure, the man looked intimidating but he was kind. How it was possible that he was a leader of the armed group of delinquents known as Skill-Out? With the excuse of fighting for the rights of those that lacked abilities, they created havoc in the city, harming innocent people and attacking espers for just having their abilities.

There indeed were some espers that misused their abilities, like that bastard that attacked the lab with pyrokinesis to only hurt people, but those were a minority and Anti-Skill also took care of them. That is why Kamijou could not accept their actions.

But to come to a café in broad daylight while being a fugitive? Komaba Ritoku sure was bold.

Kamijou crossed his arms as he observed Suzuki trembling in fear.

"Geez…"

**PART 8**

"So what's gonna happen sensei?"

**Orange**

Kamijou asked to the woman at his side, who just ended a call.

"The 84th branch of Anti-Skill is going to handle this. I talked to one of its members, Saigou Ryouta, and he told me they are going to dispatch their team to look for any evidence and also will take care of interrogating the workers of the café."

Kamijou glanced at the green building with a worried expression. Both were outside in the street in front of cafe. It was still sunny.

_(I hope Suzuki is going to be okay… The interrogatory is going to make her a lot more nervous…)_

"So… should we return to the Seventh Mist or visit the Endymion?" Yomikawa's voice took Kamijou out of his musings.

"Oh… are we still gonna hang out?"

**Orange**

"Well, yeah… Didn't you hear me say that another branch is going to handle Komaba?" The woman crossed her arms, tilting her head a bit. "Touma, you're not going to get rid of me so easily, we still have a lot to do."

"I didn't mean anything like that." He rolled his eyes. "I was just curious, you know. Anyway, I think the Endymion is located district 23, we would need to take a cab to get there quickly. I suggest we return to the Seventh Mist first and then we can go to see the space elevator."

**Dark Green**

"Sounds like a plan," Finally, the woman smiled, which relieved him a bit. "Let's go."

Without waiting a single second, the woman began to walk by her own, she still seemed upset. Kamijou put his hand on his hip and sighed yet again.

"Not waiting for me, huh…?"

**o-0-O-0-o**

Current location: Inside the Seventh Mist.

"So, sen-" A glare cut him off. "Yomikawa-sa-" Her glare deepened.

**Orange**

"Remove the honorific," The woman commanded with a firm tone.

"Yomikawa…" She nodded approvingly. "…What do you want to do first…?"

**Dark Green**

Yomikawa didn't respond and ignored him. Was the woman still mad for whatever reason she may have had? Her attitude was beginning to irk him and he had enough, it was time to solve this situation.

"Sensei, listen up!" Kamijou spoke sharply, causing her to blink in mild surprise. "I'm sorry."

The unfortunate carrier of a power he did not understand gave the woman an apologetic expression, smiling weakly. Yomikawa stared at him dumbfounded, eventually averting her eyes to the side as she brushed her long hair behind the ear.

**Light Blue**

"You don't have to apologize…" The woman said. "I… I just… I don't know why I'm acting this childish. You just did what was logical…" Putting her left hand's index over her lips, she continued. "And I shouldn't be surprised about the maids; it's you after all…" Yomikawa continued while forcing a smile. "Everything is fine, Touma. Let's go have some fun, you deserve it."

Kamijou found himself staring at her, but quickly shook his head, moving his eyes elsewhere due to the embarrassment he began to feel. Yomikawa was just like the Delta Force called: A goddess.

"Touma? Are you listening?" Kamijou blinked his eyes in surprise upon noticing the woman's face ridiculously close to his, causing him to step back. "Hmm… what's wrong?"

**White**

"Eh… nothing…" Replied the flushed teen.

**Pink**

Yomikawa stepped closer as she peered at him, a sly smile forming on her face as Kamijou tried his best to avoid meeting her penetrating gaze. What was she trying to pull?

"Could it be that you are still embarrassed if seeing such a beauty?" The busty woman teased while making a sexy pose, shaking all the gears of Kamijou's brain.

"Sensei please, you just said you wanted me to have some fun. I don't think that your teasing me is very fun for ME. For you perhaps, but not me," Kamijou replied, scratching his cheek a bit as he turned around in an effort to hide his embarrassment.

**Dark Pink**

"Yeah… right…" Yomikawa placed a hand on her waist. "I think you should consider being a little more honest with yourself, Touma."

Hearing her, the boy let out a fake laugh and walked away.

_(This… This is going to be a long day…)_

**PART 9**

Shopping is unavoidably one of the most frequent and favourite hobby for girls and women of any age to have. Even his teacher, Yomikawa Aiho, wasn't an exception to this as Kamijou found out to his dismay.

Back at the Seventh Mist, the woman seemingly decided to enter every store she could find, whether it was to purchase or just check out clothing, accessories, jewellery and even cooking utensils. Now that he thought about it, she did prepare him a bento after staying at his place overnight for the first time.

**Green**

"OK, I gathered some interesting clothing, so you will be the judge this time," Yomikawa said cheerfully putting a load of clothes on the empty side of the sofa where Kamijou was currently sitting.

"Sure."

The woman grinned as she grabbed the first piece of clothing from the sofa and entered the dressing room, closing the green curtain that worked as the 'door' or 'sight-stopper' completely. After a few minutes, the curtains were opened, only to reveal Yomikawa wearing a blue shirt with a bold neckline and dark blue jeans…

She looked fantastic.

"So, what you think?"

Kamijou gulped and crossed his arms, assuming a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm… Hmm… Hmm…!" The woman raised an eyebrow. "You look really good, it suits you."

**Pink**

"R-Really…?" The woman looked herself in the tall mirror at her side. "OK… I'm going to try more clothes then…"

And so, Yomikawa continued to try the many clothes she selected form different styles, most of them looking amazing on her.

"Geez… The mountain of clothes is still big," Kamijou commented as he glanced at the clothes at his side and sighed. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do to avoid this…"

As a couple of minutes passed, Kamijou looked around the store; there were some girls of his age here and there checking the goods the shop sold, with some cute ones. And then, the boy blinked in shock when his eyes went over to the entrance door as a tall woman with black hair and glasses entered the shop.

"Oyafune-sensei!? Oh man! What is she doing here?" Kamijou quickly scanned his surroundings, there was no good place to hide, he would need to move fast and leave the shop while avoiding her.

"She can't see me here!"

Kamijou stood up and stepped near the dressing room Yomikawa was using.

"Sensei," He whispered. "Sensei! I'm in trouble! I need to-"

**Dark Green**

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sensei," The woman moved the curtain a bit, sticking out her head. Kamijou's cheeks became red as he noticed she was half-naked, using the curtain and some clothes to cover her… front part… "What is it?"

Kamijou's gaze unconsciously moved down, seeing part of her panties. He blinked and immediately shook his head, he needed to control himself.

"Ehm… Oh! Oyafune-sensei just entered the shop! If she sees me, I'm screwed."

**Yellow**

Kamijou hoped that she would just say: "Then I'll see you out of the shop." However, the woman did the unexpected, which was… dragging him inside the dressing room with her."

"If you stay here, she won't see you…" Said the crazy woman.

The boy took on his surroundings. The room was really tiny, the walls had the same color of the curtain and Yomikawa was… TOO DAMN CLOSE! Not to mention that she indeed was half-naked, only wearing black panties and covering her… assets with her blue dress.

_(She is indeed not wearing a bra!? Why isn't she wearing a bra!?)_

"T-this is just wrong!" Kamijou exclaimed, his nerves cracking. "I mean, you're not completely dressed and we are inside this tiny room together!"

**Orange**

"Shut up! They are going to hear you!" Yomikawa furrowed her eyebrows. "If someone sees you here, then I assure you, we both are going to be in serious trouble so keep quiet."

"One would think that you would've thought of that before pulling me in here…" Kamijou averted his eyes to avoid staring at her body, the situation was embarrassing enough, he didn't need something else happening.

"Just don't shout or they really are going to find us," The woman whispered, sounding a bit upset.

Kamijou could feel his face burning in embarrassment, which only got worse upon noticing that Yomikawa's face was getting redder too. Despite causing this awkward situation, was she flustered too?

"Was there really the need to drag me in here? And worse, with you? I could have just entered an empty dressing room, you know."

**Pink**

"Sorry… I panicked…" Her voice lost intensity, her face showing a growing anxiety.

Kamijou tried his very best to avoid staring at her, which resulted a titanic feat. Being in this situation, a question emerged in his mind: Was he the luckiest boy in the world?

He immediately concluded that the answer was a resounding no. Even if something like this could be considered as a lucky circumstance, it was never a clear cut case with the boy that carried the Imagine Breaker. In fact, it normally meant that something really bad was going to happen to him later on.

"I guess there's no helping it," Kamijou opened part of the curtain slowly, observing the area. "Let's just wait until the area is clear and I'll sneak out."

"Obviously," The professor's mocking tone caused a tick mark to appear on him.

"Sensei," Kamijou glared at her. "The only obvious thing is that you shouldn't have pulled me here in the first place, you were the one who placed us in this situation. That kind of comment and tone is just a BIT misplaced when the one at fault uses it!"

**Blue**

Yomikawa gripped the dress closer to her voluptuous chest, looking down as if ashamed… The move was extremely cute and quite unexpected for someone like her. The tomboy teacher was acting way out of character to the point that he suspected this was a side she probably hid from others. He certainly never thought he'll get a chance to see her like this.

Both remained silent after that, the awkward silence growing exponentially. He had to do something.

"We-well… I think you should put on the dress, I'll just turn around."

**Pink**

The woman did nothing, only continued staring, which made him gulp in expectation.

**Bright Pink**

"Touma…" Her soft voice startled him further. "Do you… do you like what you see…?"

"…" Kamijou blinked. "Huh?"

Silence, utter and deep silence followed after that as the boy remained stunned. It was like time had stop for a brief moment as he contemplated the current events.

_(Wait… wait… WAIT A SECOND! Did I hear that right? Did I really hear that?)_

"W-w-w-what?"

"You heard me…" The woman replied instantly.

Did he? Kamijou took a couple of seconds to analyze what was going on. Maybe his current nervousness made him hear the wrong words, maybe he imagined it. There was just no way he could have heard that.

**Pink**

Kamijou scratched his head in nervousness while keeping his gaze from the woman and answered.

"I don't know what you mean…"

**Pink**

"You don't?" She asked with a soft, yet sharp tone. "Is it your usual density? Or maybe you are just feigning?"

_(Usual density? What is she talking about? Did she really mean what she just said? Maybe she is teasing me again, and I'm not going to fall for that!)_

Kamijou faced her with a serious expression. If the woman did not have any limit when teasing him, it was the time for him to draw the line, whether it pissed her off or not.

"Don't joke with that… I'm tired of your teasing," The woman blinked in shock upon his change of behaviour. "While you have fun doing it, you make me think about stuff that only confuses me so please, just stop it."

**Black**

"I didn't mean to…" The woman sighed and turned around as a minute passed. "…Fine, leave…"

Kamijou walked out of the dressing room in silence, ducking in order to remain out of Oyafune's sight and exited the store. After that, he cloaked himself behind a tree and waited for the woman to get out.

**PART 10**

"It's been 10 minutes… I guess she is still trying the clothes…"

The boy observed the passing people as he sat on a metal bench, which were students mostly, nothing out of the ordinary. However, a girl and her companion caught his interest when he saw them from afar coming in his direction. It was a weird sight due to one of them looking like a **sister** from a **Church**.

_(What's a sister doing here?)_ Kamijou observed her as she walked in the street accompanied by a girl that seemed familiar to him. _(Wait… I have seen that girl before, haven't I?)_

The familiar looking girl spun around as if dancing for some reason and noticed the boy looking at them. To his surprise, the girl began to move towards him, followed by the nun.

"We meet again!" Said the girl cheerfully as she stood in front of Kamijou, startling him. "Hmm? We met some days ago in a park, remember?" The boy blinked. "I was carrying a bag filled with food when I saw you sitting at a bench."

The boy gave no reply as his mind's gears began to work. Soon, his mind recalled the event where he had seen her. She was the girl that greeted him just after meeting the Tokiwadai trio some days ago, when his life wasn't as complicated as it was now.

"You carried a bag full of food… and that flower accessory on your head," The black-haired student with blue eyes nodded and put a hand on the mentioned hair accessory. "You're still using it."

"You do remember!" She said vigorously. "It's such a coincidence meeting again like this, isn't it?"

Kamijou glanced at her quickly; she wore a normal school uniform so his gaze moved to the girl of short height, hiding behind the student's back.

The nun had silver long hair that covered her head and green eyes, making Kamijou think that she was a foreigner. Upon closer inspection, Kamijou noticed that the nun-like sister wore a costume that normally should have been black according what he has read about them, yet the nun's outfit was pure white.

Embroideries made of golden treads covered the edges of her outfit, which were apparently sewn. She also wore a one-piece hood with the same golden highlights, completing the nun's habit.

One question came to his head. Why was a religious believer inside Academy City? Her presence in the city of science was like putting manga in the student library because neither complemented each other. Maybe she was related to the other girl or was just visiting the city… Maybe?

"I suppose…" Kamijou replied.

"When I saw you, I thought: Where I have seen this guy? Then I recalled. The name is Saten Ruiko by the way, and this is-"

"Index Librorum Prohibitorum," The nun continued and Kamijou raised an eyebrow.

"…What?"

"I said my name is In-"

"Index! Her name is Index!" Saten interjected this time, looking rather nervous.

"Index…? Such a weird name," Kamijou commented, earning a pout from the nun. "Anyway, I'm Kamijou Touma, nice to meet you both."

Saten nodded, still smiling while the nun glared at him with intensity, it seemed she didn't like him at all. Kamijou wondered if nuns could glare at people that way… she looked rather young so maybe she…

"I'm hungry, Ruiko! You said you were going to feed me!" The girl by the name of Index shouted suddenly, moving her arms frantically and grabbed her by the hand. "And I already miss Kazari! Let's go!"

"Hai hai…" Saten rolled her eyes and Kamijou widened them; he has heard the name Kazari before…

"Let's go," She turned to the thoughtful boy. "Good-bye Kamijou-kun, see you around."

The girl waved his hand to him, the boy doing the same before the odd duo left. This was not how Kamijou had imagined nuns or sisters would be, but he's seen stranger things. One minute passed and…

Kamijou stood up, his eyes seeing a supermarket that announced 75% of discount on food prices. "Guh! This…! This I can't miss!"

It was his chance; such a good offer could not be missed. It was at times like this that he had the obligation to get any every day products and food at the lowest cost possible. Saving money was always important; he understood that well after living with only leftovers and extremely cheap food after paying Suzuki's debt.

Making haste, Kamijou entered the shop and took a shopping cart, knowing that he was going to buy a lot.

It was like paradise. Vegetables, fruits, dairy products at such low prices, Kamijou bought to his heart's content.

"With so much dashi and miso, I'm gonna make so much miso soup, I can already taste it! I need more tofu and wakame seaweed… What else…? Oh, daikon, carrots and potatoes… check!" Kamijou looked happily around; his eyes fell on big packages of pork. "I could even afford to make Tonjiru!"

Minutes passed as Kamijou's cart was filled with plenty of food. Rice occupied 30% of the space, being such an important crop.

"I'm going to make Curry, fried rice and Onigiri to take to my training," Kamijou commented happily. "Oh, I need gyuuniku (beef) to make Hayashi Rice."

The boy looked around; there was only one package of beef left at the counter.

_(Man, I'm so lucky! To find this store when I just received money, even the last package of gyuuniku is there for me to take… This is__…__ strange…)_

Kamijou's paranoia suddenly emerged upon noticing his lucky circumstances, making him wary. He observed his surroundings in case something bad would occur but nothing weird was happening… yet.

"I should just probably buy the food and return to Yomikawa quickly."

Kamijou walked to the stand to grab the package, and while he did, another hand did the exact same, grabbing the other side of the glorious offer. The boy blinked as he observed the hand, the arm and finally the person to which it belonged to.

It was a boy with and odd appearance. His hair was white, his eyes… red? Said boy still kept his gaze on the meat before he turned his head to him, his expression a bit creepy.

"Let go of the fucking meat, moron."

OK, now that was not polite. It seemed that both wanted the meat, however, only one can take it. Was it his misfortune acting again? Whatever it was, Kamijou was already annoyed by such a rude attitude, so he was not going to concede.

"I'm sorry but I grabbed it first, so it's mine. You are the one that's going to have to let go," Responded Kamijou sharply, narrowing his gaze.

The white-haired boy smirked, his hand using more strength to take the beef.

"Looks like we have a fella that doesn't fucking know who is he talking to," He exclaimed loudly, earning the attention of all the people close by. "I'm not in a bad mood today so I'm going to let it pass. Still, I'm taking the meat. Just leave the meat where you have fucking seen it and walk away, unless…"

His dangerous tone suggested this was a warning, he had to be careful, there was no telling of what this guy was capable of… So he had to.

"Unless what?"

The unknown boy darkened his gaze.

"Look at this bastard! Fighting over food with some trash!"

Both teens directed their eyes at the sound of a new voice, there was a group of people, mostly teens like them but their appearance pretty much implied they were delinquents. It certainly explained the lack of people around the supermarket; everyone must have fled by now.

Both Kamijou and the other boy let go of the meat, Kamijou getting ready for a coming fight while the red-eyed boy massaged his neck as if bored.

"Let me guess… You're here to take me down to earn yourself a name."

Kamijou frowned at the words of the odd-looking teen as he wondered if he was some sort of known delinquent. To defeat people with reputation would always give you influence and power, even inside gangsters and among delinquents, these dudes probably wanted to earn reputation.

This lead Kamijou to a question: Who was this white-haired guy?

"Damn right we will," The one who seemed their leader replied with enthusiasm, raising a fist. "They say you're strong, but to beat a whole armed group is going to be impossible, even for you. Big Spider will be nothing to us then!"

(Big Spider…? I think I heard they belonged to Skill-Out… so this guys are trying to get rep among the other groups of Skill-Out then…)

"Do I look like I give a fuck? Just come on and let's get this over with… It might be fun," The whitehead put both hands in his pant pockets, and then looked at Kamijou.

"I suggest you leave if you don't want to get caught, kid."

"Kid?" Kamijou made an amused expression.

"We have nothing against you," One of the thugs then spoke. "So yeah, get the fuck out of here before we kick this guy's ass. You know, these guys can't control themselves in a fight so you'll most likely get beaten if you stay… And this is none of your fucking business anyway."

Kamijou's amused expression remained on his face.

"So you are saying that no matter if I choose to remain here or not, you all are going to attack him?" Their leader smirked, nodding confidently. "What if I say that you shouldn't fight? Would you do it?"

"Did you hear that, Aibatsu?" A thug said to their leader.

**Aibatsu** and his group began their laughter as Kamijou, to be honest, expected. Even their objective, the whitehead began to laugh.

"Yeah, we are going to stop because some random school boy tells us to," Said Aibatsu sarcastically.

"I see…" Kamijou closed his eyes for a couple of seconds and then, he opened them, showing a fierce gaze neither the thugs nor the whitehead expected, their surprised faces showed Kamijou that, while the whitehead raised an eyebrow in mild bewilderment. "So what if I said that I would take you down if you did? Would you stop?"

His voice was threatening; he knew it and the thugs, too.

"You take us down…? …Alone?" The group leader looked impressed. "Are you an esper?"

"Yes… a level 0."

"Are you insane then? Not even the strongest in AC is going to take us down and you say that you are going do it? Are you serious?" He asked in disbelief as everyone else remained silent.

"I don't care about the strongest in AC… And yes, I will take you down if necessary to stop you from attacking him, whether he is your enemy, another thug or someone strong. To gang up on someone like this, not to mention that your reason is for just getting rep… I will not allow it."

"Huh… This could be interesting…" Commented the unknown white-haired boy.

"You won't allow it…?" Aibatsu sighed. "Guys, kick both their asses, this boy is fucking crazy so let's pound some sense into his mind. Then focus on Acceler-"

Kamijou moved.

In seconds, a punch landed on Aibatsu's face, sending him to the ground. The other thugs blinked in shock as they finally realized what just occurred. The boy moved fast, knocking their leader out in one hit.

Kamijou hoped they would reconsider their assault on the jerk behind him, however, it appeared that it only made them angry, which meant that a fight was definitely going to occur. They were more than twenty, too many people… Kamijou glanced at the exit and six of them covered it… They had all this planned.

He would need to make his way to the entrance and open a path between them, but if he did that, the white-haired boy would be attacked.

_(Geez… this is not good… Even if that annoying guy that wants to take my meat helps, I don't think we will be able to handle them. Though they mentioned that he is the strongest of AC…)_

Kamijou turned around, the whitehead was sitting on the meat counter, smirking at him.

"That was interesting, taking down that ass with one hit. C'mon, show me something more interesting. How many of them you can beat?" His smiled twisted, and grew bigger.

_(And there goes my idea of asking him for some help… I'm so screwed now.)_

"A sexy woman is coming, look!" A thug commented loudly, making the others turn around as well. "Man, she's gorgeous!"

_(Yomikawa-sensei is coming? Oh man! This is getting out of control.)_ Kamijou paled.

"Hey, just scare her away, Aibatsu will get mad if we don't give them a beating. That dude punched our boss, remember?" The thug looked through the glass walls. "Whoa! She's hot!"

"Man, he's right!"

Both Kamijou and the whitehead deadpanned and face palmed at the exact same time.

These guys were idiots… but he couldn't really blame them. They all looked rather young so their reactions were understandable.

"Erhh! You assholes are wasting my time! Just fucking fight already!" The red-eyed boy shouted as the thugs went one after another to check out the sexy woman.

**Orange**

It was then when the automatic entrance doors opened. Yomikawa, wearing her dark-green dress entered and total silence engulfed the shop. The busty woman looked around suspiciously and made her way to the confused spiky-haired boy.

"What are you doing here? I heard there was trouble here," She inquired sternly.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Song 04

* * *

Kamijou looked around; the thugs were now walking around the supermarket like normal customers, even buying stuff. A still scared employee attending the checkout, who was brave enough to remain inside the shop after the gang entered, began to work again instead of hiding.

"Nothing…"

"…Nothing?" The woman looked at the nearest thug. "You look suspicious…"

"Eh? But I did nothing!" The thug defended himself desperately, and turned to his companion. "Isn't that right?!" The other completely ignored him, whistling as he walked away. "That bastard…" He gritted his teeth and suddenly pointed his finger to Kamijou. "He punched that guy over there, he's a savage!"

"What." Kamijou deadpanned again.

**Yellow**

"Really?" Yomikawa glanced at the unconscious guy on the ground. "Well, it does seems like it. Is it true, Touma?"

"Uh…Well…"

"Look what I've found! It's the new album of** First Astronomical Velocity**! Man, I love Sonico!" A thug commented dumbly.

_(What kind of Skill-Out group is this?)_

"Well? I'm still waiting… What happened?"

"Tch! What happened is that they are all a group of shitty faggots! I'm out of here!" The white-haired boy growled as he stood up and walked away.

"It's not like anyone wanted you here!" Kamijou shouted towards his back. "Anyway, can you wait for me outside, Yomikawa? I'll explain everything but I need to finish buying some stuff."

**Green**

"S-sure… You finally called me without any honorifics…" She smiled. "S-so, I'll wait outside then…"

The sexy bombshell left the super market. That was too easy...

"Oi!" Kamijou walked to the nearest thug and whispered to him. "What happened to your goal of defeating that dude? Are you going to give up that easily?"

"Isn't that what you wanted? Besides, our leader is unconscious, thanks to you." The thug replied. "We'll wait for him to wake up and try again… Our group isn't in a hurry," He then turned to one of his companions. "Buy me a copy of Sonico-chan's album too!"

Kamijou facepalmed again, he seemed to be doing that a lot facing these guys...

"…So who was that guy anyway? Why do you guys want to defeat him?"

"Hmm… I don't know…" Kamijou resisted the urge to double face palm. "Oi everyone! Do any of you remember who our target was?"

"A guy supposedly to be the strongest in AC! I think…" The others said the same thing.

"There you go," The thug talking to Kamijou nodded.

"You were planning to attack someone without knowing who he was… Seriously…" Kamijou sighed. "You're not going to cause more trouble here, right?"

"Nah… we don't really like doing that kind of stuff, it was only because Aibatsu said he saw our objective, that's why we moved to fight him, but with him unconscious, we'll take care of that another time…"

"Besides…" Another thug walked to them. "The sexy chick looked rather angry, and we all know that angry women are really scary, if we did anything…" The thug visibly gulped.

Almost everyone in the shop nodded, even Kamijou and the only employee in the facility.

Kamijou finished buying his groceries, noticing that the meat package was gone. Only the money for its cost was left in its place. Well, at least that weird guy didn't steal it.

"Well, I'm off. Sorry for… eh… punching your boss," Said Kamijou to the most friendly member of Skill-Out.

"Don't worry about it, he deserved it," The dude responded. "Aibatsu has been acting like a idiot lately, so I'm sure that punch will make him reflect on his behaviour a bit. I do have to admit that the move you did was amazing though. Why don't you join us?"

"I… appreciate the offer," The unfortunate teen sweat dropped. "But I have other obligations, so I can't."

Kamijou suspected that mentioning that he was going to Judgment was unnecessary. Also, this were not the kind of thugs he usually encountered, in fact they were rather dumb but friendly, the whole thing was a bit weird really.

"I see. Well, take this then," Kamijou looked down, it was a CD. "That guy took your meat because of us so have this as a replacement. While it's not food, you won't regret listening to it, these chicks are awesome."

"**First Astronomical Velocity**…" Kamijou read the name of the band. "That's not necessary."

"Just take it, man. We are their fan group in Academy City, so expanding Sonico-chan's great music is our duty. Take it, take it!"

Kamijou sweat dropped again, these guys indeed weren't like the other gangs he had faced... at all, which was quite a refreshing change.

"Okay…? Thanks… And please, refrain from attacking people. It's just not right, you know."

"Well, we'll talk to the boss when he eventually wakes up… and good luck with the hot chick. I'm very jealous, you know."

"WE ALL ARE!" Everyone shouted, even only employee in the supermarket, much to Kamijou's surprise.

With that, Kamijou left the supermarket. Anti-Skill arrived shorty after.

**PART 11**

After explaining the absurd situation while omitting the fact of the group belonged to Skill-Out, Kamijou and Yomikawa visited other stores inside the Seventh Mist. The woman was rather amused and understood why Kamijou would use this one-of-a-lifetime chance to restock his refrigerator without using too much money.

And so time passed.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Current location: A certain park, 4:46 p.m. The sky was cloudy.

**Green**

Student and teacher conversed with both sitting on a bench. Kamijou's food bags were at his side. Despite the awkward and absurd situations that occurred today, the boy could admit that he had a good time… he even got decent food at a low cost.

"I guess we will leave the Endymion for another day, but I had a lot of fun today, Yomikawa," Kamijou smiled brightly at her. "Thanks!"

**Pink**

The woman blinked in surprise and turned her face to the other side, earning a confused look from him.

_(…Did I say something wrong?)_

"I… I had a lot of fun, too…" She replied with a nervous tone. "Sorry for acting weird today…"

"You already apologized, woman!" The boy said playfully. "Everything's fine," Kamijou grabbed one of the bags.

"I mean, look at all this food! I'm going to eat like a king!" Yomikawa just smiled at his silly behaviour.

"I suppose..." She commented.

A minute then passed as Kamijou continued to look over the bags, the woman was silent.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"I can already imagine all the tasty dishes I'm going to make with this many food," Kamijou said to himself out loud, smiling as if proud while resting his back on the bench.

**Pink**

"..."

"Hey Yomikawa, let's go to my place and I'll cook. I need to repay you somehow. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten these many groceries."

**Bright Pink**

The boy looked at her; her face was red, absurdly red.

"I would like to… but my squad is going to have a meeting today, I have to be there." Kamijou gulped as the woman continued to talk; the redness of her face was making him feel uncomfortable, what was she embarrassed about? "I would love to taste your homemade food but we will have to leave that for another day."

"Hmm… That's a downer…"

**Pink**

"Taichou!" Kamijou looked to the left, a woman he had seen before that wore glasses was waving her hand at them.

"I brought the car!"

Yomikawa stood up and looked down at him, her face was still red, yet she was smiling. Kamijou gulped as she stared at him, what was going in her mind now?

"Touma…" She bended over to him, her face getting disturbingly close. "I'm glad I found you in that alley back then… If I didn't, I wouldn't have known you like this," Kamijou blinked, leaning back to gain some distance, yet it was futile due to the woman getting even closer while brushing some of her hair behind the ear, which was highly seductive.

**Bright Pink**

"Y-Yomikawa… you are too close…" His voice faded as the woman smiled warmly, closed her eyes and… kissed him on the cheek. "…eh…"

Her lips were soft, his skin could sense it. He couldn't tell how much time passed as he remained stunned.

The woman finally leant back, still sporting her charming smile.

**Bright Green**

"I will go easy on you, for now…" Said Yomikawa, snapping him out of his trance. "The two of us going out… it wasn't that bad after all," The woman turned around, looking at him over her shoulder. "We won't have classes today by the way…"

After winking slyly, Yomikawa walked to the woman with glasses and both left the park.

Kamijou remained there, a storm of thoughts swirling around his mind. The boy slammed his palms on his face and stood up, shaking his head. What the woman did was not only unexpected, but also confusing! She kissed him on the cheek! Why would she do that? Was it her usual teasing?

His fingers moved across his face and stopped on his cheek, before he shook his head. Yet again, the woman had made him confused and embarrassed.

"I will go easy on you for now… What did she mean by that…? And no classes? She tricked me didn't she...? Damnit…"

The confused Kamijou Touma crossed his arms as he reorganized his mind and sighed, the weather did not look good and he still had to return home with his groceries. Picking up the bags, the boy left the park in silence.

o-0-O-0-o

It was raining.

Kamijou ran as fast as he could, or at least, as fast as his bags would allow him to without letting anything fall out. The raining was getting heavier; he had to find a shelter.

His dorm was still some streets ahead, so thinking about getting there with this much rain was out of the question. A minute passed and finally found a bus stop, with seats and a shelter as he had hoped.

"Geez…" The boy took cover from the rain and put his somewhat-wet bags on the bench, removing his wet school shirt as well. "It was sunny in the morning; I'm pretty sure the weather forecast said it was going to remain like that."

After sighing in resignation, Kamijou's body slumped on the bench. There was nothing he could do but to wait for the rain to end so he observed the empty streets as some for a bit.

The rain continued.

Without realizing it, Kamijou found himself musing about the recent events that occurred in the past few days, the circumstances he was subjected to.

Tsukino's training from hell, Yomikawa's teasing, having to deal with Kongou and Biri Biri, making Fukiyose mad, Misaki's attempt of getting close, meeting the girl whose face he have forgotten and yet was once important to him, the chase when running away from the mad bomber by the name of Seivelun, **Saten** **Ruiko **and the nun called **Index**… among other stuff.

Kamijou's cell vibrated, with a 'peep' sound that meant he got a message. The boy took out his phone and checked the message. It was form anonymous.

(Not this again… wait… it's not…)

**Nice to meet you too, Kamijou Touma. I'm Maki Tomoko, you can call me Maki-chan if you want… I hope we meet again.**

Kamijou blinked in relief. It wasn't the stalker. The boy mused a bit and realized this message was from that girl, the one once close to him, the one who helped him with his ATM card.

_(I suppose she changed her mind…)_

The sound of footsteps at his side stopped his musings, Kamijou looked to his left and his eyes widened.

**PART 12 (A certain Girl's POV)**

"I hate myself…"

A long day it has been, just like the others… Lately, my sleeping problems had become worse, I just couldn't close my eyes, my mind was not fine, it keep thinking, it just kept thinking about things.

"Just… what I'm I doing…?" I said to myself as I walked alone to my dorm.

The clouds had covered the sky; the streets looked a bit dark, which certainly didn't improve my mood. Even I could tell that I was depressed, yet I keep trying to deny the reason for my current sadness.

Honestly, it wasn't a surprise that I feel that way. It was all **his** fault.

"Kamijou Touma," I repeated as if hoping he would appear before me, yet if he did, what was I supposed to say to him? After what happened at his dorm, I just couldn't find the courage to speak to him. I never intended to ignore his calls but I was afraid to answer. I was a coward.

_**I don't regret doing this and I never will. I will continue to help people, even if that costs me my life. If you want to stop me, the hit me so hard that I will never wake up again, that's the only way you will stop me from doing what I do.**_

Yes, I was coward unlike him.

With a sigh, I raised my head and contemplated the cloudy sky. It looked it was going to rain and I didn't bring my umbrella, worsening how I felt. A drop suddenly fell on my left cheek, making me blink.

"So it's finally raining."

I continued to walk in silence as more raindrops fell on me, around me, but I didn't care, I didn't have any energy to start running to find cover either, all I wanted was to walk peacefully and reach my dorm.

Catching a cold now seemed like a very good idea. It was just that… classes had become boring. Tsuchimikado and Aogami had been acting oddly normal; it was funny if one thought about it.

The only time they gave me no reason to hit them was just when I needed to ease my impotence and anger; I couldn't do so now, not with them choosing to act like normal students for once.

Thinking about that made me sick, what was I thinking? They did nothing to me and yet I just wanted to unleash my anger on them. What would he think about this?

_**I can't just look away when someone gets hurt. I could have died, yes... but if I let someone do as he wishes, that causing the suffering and even death of someone, I would never forgive myself.**_

"I'm ashamed of myself…"

I had only spent my days complaining, seeing my cellphone repeatedly if he would call me again. It kind of made me laugh that he stopped doing it after only one day had passed but it mostly made my blood boil, he didn't really care about me and he lied! Lied to me!

_**I don't expect you to believe me, you have the right to not do so, but at the time, this was the only thing I could do to prevent the rumor from spreading around and causing even greater problems.**_

Yomikawa-sensei slept with him… I couldn't take it, it just made me furious. I don't know why it did, I told myself that because it was wrong for students and teachers to have that kind of relationship, but I knew that was not the main reason for my burst of anger.

I was mad because he lied, I was mad because he hid the fact, I was mad because Yomikawa was closer to him than me. It took me two days to realize it, and what did I do when he said the truth to me? I reacted violently, letting my impotence cloud my mind and ended our friendship.

_**Nothing happened! We just slept! That's all!**_

"I'm a fool… I hate myself," I whispered.

My uniform was soaked, the rain dripped down my neck and it was cold, I felt cold.

More minutes passed and I raised my head a bit, a bus stop was near. It had a bench and a shelter, yet they were useless to me now. I continued to walk towards it and I was taken aback.

Someone was sat on the bench; it was someone I both hoped to see and not see, the boy that had caused a maelstrom in my mind, and the boy that had showed me that he followed his convictions despite his bad luck.

It was **Kamijou Touma**.

I was trembling, though I couldn't tell if it was because I was soaked by the rain or I was afraid. I stood there, immobile as I continued to stare at him. Kamijou was looking inside some of his bags, he did not notice me.

That made me angry again.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 06 Section: Song 05 (**Really, this song was made for this.**)

* * *

I gave one step forward, then another. Each step taken splashed the water on the ground as I continued to walk towards him. Before I could realize it, I was there, standing at his side as I hid my gaze from him with my own hair. I could hear his breathing despite the sound of the raining pattering on the ground.

"Fukiyose…?" He said but I did not respond. "You're going to catch a cold!"

Kamijou stood up, I could sense worry in his tone, that was what I wanted to believe.

I continued to stare down at the ground, I couldn't face him.

"Fukiyose…" His voice faded. "What happened…?"

"What happened?" I repeated, already feeling my anger rising. "You know what happened…"

"I don't…" He began, and then stopped.

A minute of silence continued after that, however, the sound of thunder echoed all around suddenly, giving me the chills and making me react on instinct.

I moved forward and gripped him by his orange T-shirt, the one he said was his favorite and always used. I was scared, ever since I was a kid the storms scared me, that had not changed. I couldn't believe that my depression made me forget how much I hated storms, the sound of thunder breaking the silence of nature.

"…!" It took me a few moments to realize that I was close to him, my forehead rested on his chest. I felt my cheeks burning despite the cold, I didn't dare to look at him or move. "I…"

"I'm sorry," He interrupted me as I felt his arms locking around my body. "I'm sorry…" Kamijou whispered and I felt like crying, but I didn't.

Time passed as we remained like this, it didn't bother me. All I thought was that I was soaking his clothes with mine, yet he held me even closer. My brain could not process anything logical, I was embarrassed, I wanted to just act like I normally did and give him a good punch but I felt weak, he made me feel weak.

Why? Why did I feel powerless when he was close? It wasn't like that before, it all changed when I decided to follow him, when I finally saw the real him. A person who truly cared for others and would risk his life for their sake.

_**This is my way of living.**_

I hated his complaints, his childish and irresponsible personality, the perverted conversations he usually had with his friends but after I saw him fighting with those delinquents, I feared for his well-being and realized how deeply I cared for him.

Kamijou stepped back suddenly and our eyes met.

"Kamijou…" My voice was barely audible. "I shouldn't have reacted like that; I don't know what got into me."

"That makes two of us," He chuckled.

"No, you were right." I dropped my gaze, unable to continue staring at his deep eyes yet and moved close to him again. "I should be the one apologizing."

"Don't sweat, its fine," he simply responded.

I doubted my feelings, yet I understood one thing.

He was important to me.

I gripped his orange t-shirt tightly and moved my face towards his as I closed my eyes. I was embarrassed, I could not think clearly but I wanted to do it, I needed to do it.

And so, in that rainy day, I gave him my very first kiss... or so I thought.

**PART 13**

"Fukiyose?" Kamijou spoke worriedly. "Fukiyose?"

The rain had stopped and the clouds were dispersing.

The boy looked at her in shock; Fukiyose Seiri was standing in front of him. His voice apparently took her out of her train of thought. Her face was red, so Kamijou feared it was a fever.

"Yes…?"

"Are you alright? You fell silent all of a sudden, kind of scared me."

The girl shook her head and smiled, before walking past him. "Yes, now I know I'm really fine…" She came to a stop and turned around. "I'm not mad at you anymore, Kamijou."

The uncertain boy blinked in confusion. When the girl appeared before him, Kamijou tried to apologize for whatever that made her mad, but she ended up apologizing to him instead.

Fukiyose's gaze lost its focus in the middle of her sentence and abruptly stopped, causing him to panic a bit. He called out to her but she didn't respond as if she was in some kind of mental trance. Eventually, that lead to the current situation.

"Really? That's good." Kamijou commented. "I'm glad."

Fukiyose nodded. "I will see you tomorrow at your dorm; I still want to help you with your studies."

"…Sure…"

She smiled brightly and spun around, running away.

The word 'confused' felt meaningless to Kamijou today. He couldn't explain what just occurred; all the women he interacted with only puzzled him.

"Geez… what a day…" The boy scratched his head. "But I guess its fine."

Picking up his bags full of food, Kamijou Touma resumed his journey back to the Kamijou Residence, unconsciously smiling as he did. There was a rainbow in the sky, yet he did not notice it.

**The Illusion Breaker Boy ARC: END**

* * *

**Fukiyose's illusion was rather interesting, don't you think? **

**I hope Fukiyose's POV was to your liking. I think it's always fun to try different types of writing to innovate a bit.**

**Tomonee: Now that was a pretty awesome chapter if you ask me but I guess I'm biased towards it. Even more than usual anyways, considering I'm involved with the making of the story. Aside from that, Read and Review if you like the story or suggest what could be added in the coming chapters. Who knows, maybe your idea might appear in the next update.**

**Diller: This marks the end of the first arc of this story and helps set up plot limes for the next arc and beyond! Kamijou doesn't know it yet but his road has just opened up. Please review it's always nice to get others views on the chapter to help us improve and maybe even inspire us.**

**Frank: As always, thanks for reading. I always look forward to read any comment from you people because they make me want to work harder on this story. In the end, this story is meant for you, frigging awesome readers. **

**See you soon!**

**NEXT ARC: AUTO**

**By the hand of a vengeful mind, Academy City will erupt into chaos. Kamijou Touma's first trial will be begin as the Dark Side of AC will make their move. Determination will be the key for his survival, yet he will learn that alone, he will not live to see the next day. One thing can be said though, this is the road... HIS ROAD to become a legend.**


	8. NEW Agent

**The New Arc is finally here. The beginning of the To Aru Kagaku no Railgun events will begin during this arc and soon, the events of To Aru Majutsu no Index as well with major changes.**

**Yes, the plot is advancing slowly, but that is going to change now that the first arc has concluded. The Illusion Breaker Boy arc was necessary to know the protagonist and the most prominent characters in the first part of this story. However, starting with AUTO, you bet the plot is going to start moving at a freaking faster rate.**

**About Touma's naivety… Well, there is a reason for this, one that is highly important to the plot, and one that will change how Touma will be seen in the future.**

**Unlike the canon, or as this** **typical kind of protagonist, I will show you readers that Touma is a lot more than a reckless teenager with a strong will to see justice done; whose density surpasses that of a neutron star (that made me laugh). There is a lot more about him than first meets the eye... The time will come however, when his TRUE colors will shake the world and those around him. This doesn't mean he will become OC, but this story will explore further his personality and thinking so you can truly understand him, something that Kamachi has yet to do in depth.**

**To sum it up, let's just say that he is not as naive as you think he is, and neither does he for that matter.**

**I said this before and I will say it again. I have a "crystal clear" direction where I will be taking this story. If new volumes of the canon are written, I will use them, but that doesn't mean I will stick to them completely. After all, this is a new story for Kamijou Touma, this is his new ROAD of Misfortune.**

**And lastly, writing this chapter was one hell of a ride, but it's finally done. Thanks to my two betas Diller and Tomonee for their awesome job.**

**With nothing else to add, please enjoy!**

* * *

**A New Road Of Misfortune**

**Chapter 07: Blank Destiny: NEW__Agent_**

**PART 1 (Training Session: 07)**

Current Date: July 14th.

"This is very sudden…? Why now?"

Kamijou Touma found himself startled by the news brought by Tsukino Yui, that were supposedly related to his training.

"Because I want to see how you handle real situations," The golden-eyed girl explained. "That's why you will be joining your assigned branch for one week. Also, our training sessions will be held at night when your exams begin."

The unfortunate boy crossed his arms as he mused about joining his Judgment branch. The training was far from over, yet he would become a temporal agent.

"Okay… if you say so."

"Don't worry though, your first and real trial will only begin when they make their move."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"They? What do you mean? Who are "they"?"

Tsukino remained silent, seemingly deciding whether to tell him or not. Eventually, she sighed, putting a hand on her hip as she apparently made up her mind.

"I've been investigating some leads I received two days ago about a group's movements and I suspect they are not just random people. That said, I have yet to discover their objective, that's why we have to wait for them to act."

"But what does this have to do with my training?" Kamijou inquired.

"Nothing… Yet." She replied uncertainly. "Just don't be impatient, Kamijou-kun. When the time comes, you will know as will I."

The pointy-haired teen narrowed his gaze; he had a bad feeling about this…

"If it's part of the training, then I suppose its fine."

"Anyway, today I'll teach you some real moves. I've been making you build up endurance to withstand heavy blows while also improving your reflexes and speed. By now, you've pretty much learnt how to receive blows without being incapacitated, which is important to an adept fighter if you didn't know."

"I noticed that," Kamijou stated bluntly. "In the past I would have called you crazy, but I suppose that being able to take a beating would give you the upper hand in a long fight. Now that I think about it, I haven't been beaten unconscious in a while now. Mind you, I still think that a training that can knock someone unconscious is just crazy."

Tsukino nodded approvingly while ignoring his comment of her training, and then motioned for the teen to follow her. Kamijou followed her as they walked across a long hallway. Just like two days ago, the Training Grounds were full of volunteers of various ages that were being trained by Anti-Skill members. The sight made Kamijou wonder just how many people joined Judgment's ranks.

Eventually, Kamijou was lead to a small room with an elevator door…

"From now on, we will have our training sessions in the underground field," Tsukino explained, pointing her hand to the automatic door. "C'mon, let's go."

Kamijou glanced at her briefly and walked inside the elevator after she called it. Soothing music could be heard as minutes passed while they descended, both of them remaining silent. Finally, the elevator stopped and its doors opened, revealing an incredible sight.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Song 01

* * *

"This is the underground field, normally used for testing new technology and weaponry. From now on however, this will be the place where we will have our training sessions."

The boy looked around the enormous area, observing the soft grass that expanded across the field. Kamijou wondered how many floors they were underground; the ceiling was barely visible, with only the enormous lights across being distinguishable.

"In case you're wondering, the grass is a synthetic fibre, and by that I mean it's artificial. It doesn't need water."

Kamijou crouched and touched the grass. It was impressive how natural it looked and felt, while not needing any water to live. Compared to other things in Academy City, this was a rather normal creation, but no one could deny the fact that it was a scientific achievement.

Then, to his surprise, the grass transformed into solid ground. Kamijou looked at the girl with surprised eyes.

"Just kidding, the grass was just a hologram," Tsukino smiled.

"But I just touched it!"

"Yes you did. However, what you experienced was the mental stimulation that the panels on the walls, ceiling and ground emit to make the holograms in the room more realistic," Tsukino pressed a button in the black device she was holding.

The ground was suddenly covered in snow as the temperature fell, the environment becoming extremely cold as snow flakes fell from the… sky? There was a sky now?

_(Wait… The holograms… Yeah…)_

Kamijou moved but the snow was making it difficult as if it was real. He never imagined experiencing something like this… damn this was a REAL scientific achievement.

After pushing another button, the cold environment changed back to the large training field.

"I bet you are already imagining the possibilities this will bring to your training, eh?" The golden-eyed girl smirked darkly. "We will see how well you hold up in harsh and violent environments as you learn to fight skilfully."

Kamijou gulped at the implications and lowered his head, hiding his gaze from her. With this amazing technology, he was damn sure the training would become tougher, much tougher, but he had endured and survived each session until now. This was not the time to be intimidated, nor the time to have second thoughts. He did not come this far to quit here, and he would continue the path his life has taken, for better or worse. There was no looking back.

Kamijou Touma raised his head, smirking confidently. Tsukino Yui was taken aback by his expression.

"Bring it on."

The young leader of one of the Elite Squads of Anti-Skill remained stunned for several seconds before she smirked as well.

"…This is going to be fun. I just know it."

**PART 2**

"Here we are, Branch 177 of Judgment."

Kamijou looked through the window of Yomikawa's car at the yellow-painted five story building. This would be the place where he would be coming every day for the next week… And for some reason he had a bad feeling about that.

"What are you waiting for? Get off the car," Yomikawa spoke at his side. "They have been informed of your arrival and are expecting you."

"By them, you mean?"

"Your team," She replied.

"How many members are in this branch? Are there only two by any chance?"

"Two?" The woman looked thoughtful as she crossed her arms. "Hmm… I think there are 4 four members… I guess...?"

Kamijou already met two of them in his first visit, the annoying pig-tailed brat and the flower-headed girl. Only two more then…

"I see, well… Here I go."

Kamijou opened the door of the car and was just getting out when a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist before he could get out, making Kamijou look at the woman. She was smiling.

"What?"

The woman pulled him towards her and kissed Kamijou on his cheek before pushing the boy out of the car. Kamijou was shocked, this was the second time she did that.

"That was a good luck kiss, mind you," Yomikawa winked as he just blinked.

The stunned boy scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess it is…" He smiled and turned around. "See ya, Yomikawa."

Kamijou walked to the entrance of the building slowly due to the battering he received from his trainer as the busty woman left. Seriously, learning how to backflip with hurricanes blowing violently in all directions was just insane.

Also, parrying Tsukino's attacks continued to be a titanic feat, simply because it was really difficult to accomplish it in the first place, which only became much worse when they seemingly stood on an unstable platform floating on lava. Needless to say, the temperature was another huge obstacle during the training session.

Those holograms and panels were going to become much worse later, Kamijou just knew it.

His eyes met a small sign that said: **Judgment Branch Office 177.**

Below it was another sign that showed a red arrow that went upward; pointing to the stairs, the letters 2F confirmed what was already obvious. No changes there.

Kamijou walked up the stairs to the second floor and entered a green door. A barely illuminated short corridor lied before him. The three doors that spread across it were completely closed unlike the first time he came here.

Kamijou heard some noise coming from one of them, as if caused by multiple voices. They all came from the door he remembered that lead to the main office.

A feeling of uncertainty ran down his spine, making his body tense in anticipation as the boy neared the door. Standing before it, Kamijou grabbed the doorknob and breathed deeply.

"Here goes nothing."

Determination drawn on his face, Kamijou opened the door, only to meet a sight that made his skin pale, his body shiver and cold drops of sweat trail down his forehead. His gaze swept over the room.

_(Oh damn… Didn't she say 4?)_

To start, there were 9 persons inside the office. All of them were girls and to Kamijou's dismay, he met each and every one of them. He was screwed and he knew it.

First off, there was **Saten Ruiko**, the girl he met a couple of days ago together with her odd friend, a nun called **Index**... Even for a foreigner, that was just one weird name to have. The black-haired girl with a flower accessory on her head was, for some reason, peeping under the skirt of **Uiharu Kazari**, one of the two members of the branch that Kamijou met a few days ago when he visited the place.

The embarrassed girl with short-black hair that wore a headband made of apparent artificial flowers was trying her best to prevent the bold Saten from committing such an act.

Then there was **Kongou Mitsuko**, the level 4 ojou that attacked him when he called her** Forehead-san**. After various ridiculous events that included a certain blond mad bomber, he ended up accepting the duel she was meaning to have with him for unknown reasons.

The Tokiwadai ojou was pulling the cheeks of a certain aforementioned nun, who in return was doing just the same. They made a hilarious sight, something that both **Awatsuki Maaya** and **Wannai Kinuho** observed as they were sweat dropping.

Finally, a quite unexpected and irritating presence was that of **Misaka Mikoto**, a level 5 known as the **Railgun** due to her esper abilities. The girl had called him a stalker, though she did admit to have been wrong about that. Plus he had a pending duel with her like the other Tokiwadai ojou, for unknown, but surely stupid reasons he had yet to discover. It was worth mentioning that she was probably hiding information related to some events that he did not remember or ignored, or that was at least what Kamijou suspected.

**Biri Biri**, as Kamijou called her, was sitting in a sofa together with **Shirai Kuroko**, the impolite girl that appeared out of nowhere in the office when Kamijou first came to know his branch. The pig-tailed girl was rather rude to him, making him feel quite annoyed, which is why he wasn't exactly looking forward to see her again.

Both girls sat on a sofa where they were apparently being reprimanded by a blue-haired chick with glasses that looked kind of familiar despite not knowing her name.

Kamijou soon recalled that she was the Judgment officer that intervened when he was blamed of causing the unusual explosions occurring across the city, seemingly caused by an esper.

The blue-haired girl with glasses also tried to use her Clairvoyance ability to see through him due to her suspicion, her distrust further increased when it didn't work on him. However, thanks to the timely appearance of Yomikawa Aiho, he got off the hook.

So now Kamijou Touma wondered as he remained still, how come all of them were here? They knew each other apparently but… Were all of them members of Judgment? Or even members of this branch for that matter?

Different girls, different circumstances… Yet he just knew that all of them gathering here was not his usual sort of twisted coincidences that made his life difficult, but an unavoidable event created by the goddess of bad luck to remind him that he would never be able to have a peaceful day ever again.

Kamijou sighed inwardly as he stared at the female group; he continued to remain unnoticed by them. "Umm… Hello?" And so, 30 uncomfortable seconds passed… And so did his resolve to get their attention, which wasn't much in the first place.

And just as he was about to close the door and run away, a certain girl with wavy-brown hair's gaze moved to him, her eyes widening in surprise. Soon, one by one stopped whatever they were doing and focused their attention at the nervous teen.

Then, 19 exact seconds passed…

"Eh…? Ehhhhh!?"

Biri Biri pointed her finger at him; she seemed to be the most shocked of them. "Y-You!? What are you doing here?" She stepped back, her voice quieting down. "Don't tell me…"

"I knew it!" Another girl exclaimed cheerfully, who had a flower headband on her head. "I knew Kamijou-san would be our new temporal member!"

Misaka looked at Uiharu incredulously. "What? You know him, Uiharu?"

Before Biri Biri could hear a reply, a green fan was pointed to the still nervous teen as Kongou stood right in front of the boy.

"Kamijou Touma!" The spoiled ojou addressed him with no small amount of ferocity; of course, the rest of the girls looked as confused as he was. "Why have you not answered any of my calls?"

Another couple of awkward seconds passed then as Kamijou stood there, silent.

"Oh, sorry! I think I opened the wrong door," The boy chuckled nervously, scratched the back of his head and gave one step back. "Well, see ya!" And started closing the door.

Kamijou would have made it if it wasn't for a voice echoing loudly behind him.

"Wait, where do you think you are going?" Kamijou sighed before facing the girl that spoke to him; the one who wore glasses. "Are you really the new member of this branch?"

The boy did not respond, at least not immediately, as he cast a quick glance at every girl, most of them looking at him expectantly. Though an exception to this was Awatsuki, the Tokiwadai student with bluish hair that in fact looked rather annoyed than anything else.

Right now however, the question that would change his life was asked, with only one possible answer if the boy truly meant to continue protecting the weak, which was…

"…Yes, I am."

His meeting with Yomikawa in a certain alley after he defeated the group that attacked a lab became the start of this new life, this new **ROAD**, the meeting that irremediably led Kamijou to his current position, inside the 177 branch of Judgment.

The whole prospect about joining Judgment already seemed bad back then, now however, Kamijou feared it was going to be hell on earth.

"I-I-Is he really going to join this branch, Konori-senpai!?"

"Apparently…" The girl with shoulder-length hair replied to a shocked Biri Biri before walking to the boy. "My name is Konori Mii, chief of the 177 branch. Nice to meet you Kamijou-kun and welcome to Judgment."

"The same, and… thanks," Kamijou smiled. "We finally meet in normal circumstances, huh?"

"Yes, though you never finished explaining me what happened exactly in the Furiai Plaza that time. I'm still curious about that ability you mentione-"

"Hold on a minute!" Misaka interjected. "Why do you know him too, Konori-senpai?"

The chief of the 177 Branch gave her a stern glance before looking back to Kamijou, who was beginning to feel a bit bothered by so many stares directed at him.

"Well, it just happened I guess."

Soon, Saten jumped in front of the boy, mildly surprising him.

"Such a coincidence," The long-haired girl commented cheerfully, earning everyone's attention. "I happen to know him, too!" Saten grinned. "Even Index!"

Wannai stepped out of the group and stood in front of him. She then stared at him oddly for a couple of seconds that seemed unusually long, which Kamijou had to admit was an uncomfortable experience. Eventually, Wannai just turned around to face her friends.

"So, it seems that we all know Kamijou-kun, right?" The girl lowered her gaze, sporting a sad expression. "Some of us more than others…" Wannai muttered under her breath.

Kamijou and Saten blinked at her odd words, probably because they were the only ones that manage to make up her words. There was something about this that was bothering her.

The rest of them just glanced at each other for a few moments as they seemingly accepted Wannai's comment, after all, they did knew him. A few seconds passed and eighteen eyes focused on him again much to Kamijou's discomfort.

Gulping in expectation, Kamijou couldn't help but feel that a bomb was about to explode, yet instead, something arguably more unexpected happened.

Shirai, the Tokiwadai student with tawny-colored hair and pig tails stepped up to him, bowing respectfully as she sported a solemn expression.

"Kamijou-san," She addressed him. "I want to… apologize for my behavior the first time we met," She averted her eyes for a couple of seconds, but her gaze eventually returned to his face, her expression now showing a sincere smile. "I had a foul day and wrongly took out my anger on you. For that I apologize."

Kamijou blinked in surprise simply because he didn't see that one coming. After what happened before, who would? Well, his nervousness was reduced a bit now at least.

"Oh… it's… ehm…" The boy scratched his cheek. "It's no problem. I'm just glad everything's been cleared up. We're fine."

Shirai nodded. "Though I have a question… Why do you know my onee-sama?"

"Onee-sama?" The confused boy repeated. "You mean Biri Biri, right?"

Before he could continue, Misaka appeared at Shirai's side, looking rather nervous. The sparky girl nudged at her friend as she let out a nervous laugh.

"K-Kuroko, why are you asking such silly things…?" Kamijou frowned at her suspicious behavior as did Shirai. "Oh, I totally forgot to mention-"

"Silly things onee-sama? It's kind of odd that you, The Ace of Tokiwadai, would know him of all persons," Shira's face moved to Konori. "I do have a point right, Konori-senpai?"

"Certainly," Was the reply Konori gave to the pig-tailed ojou.

An amused squeal came from the desk's location. Uiharu was using her laptop with Saten standing at her side as both looked with interest at the screen.

"Kamijou-kun is a level 0?" Amazed, Saten commented as she spun around. "I guess we're are the only level 0s, Kamijou-kun…"

The pointy-haired teen blinked. Somehow, the boy could detect a slight tone of bitterness in her voice. It was as if she…

"Now that I think about it, he has spiky hair… and he knows you…" Shirai folder her arms as she looked lost in thought. "Could it be that he was the guy that Sprengel-?"

"WAHAHAHA!" Biri Biri laughed hysterically all of a sudden, Saten, Uiharu and Wannai joining her. "I still CAN'T BELIEVE he is joining Judgment!"

"You're still on about that?" Awatsuki deadpanned.

The flower headed girl and Biri Biri grabbed the unsuspecting Shirai and pushed her to a corner. After that, they began to whisper among themselves. Now it seemed that they also knew stuff about him besides the Level 5 Electromaster, which was frustrating.

It seemed that he was the only idiot around here that had no clue about what happened in the past.

The boy sighed at the implications, putting both hands in his pockets. "Seriously…" He raised his head, sporting a tired expression. "Can you tell me what is going on? I'm the one that… what exactly?"

"N-n-nothing, Kamijou-kun!" Wannai raised her hands, face red. "Shirai-san is… eh… well… she…"

"You see, Kamijou-kun," Saten interjected, raising a finger up in a playful manner. "Shirai has this friend that has a friend that has spiky-hair like you. She is mistaking you for another person so just ignore her."

Kamijou did not believe her for a second, their behavior was just plain suspicious. Just the matter of Judgement was a headache already and he didn't need even more trouble that would upgrade his current headache to a migraine, so he decided he would play the role of a fool, at least for the time being. There will be a time to address this matter later.

"Okay… Then I guess I'll do just that…"

"Onee-sama? Why are you calling her 'Isa-chan'? You're not that close to her! Wait, are you?!" Kamijou glanced at the trio on the corner, Shirai spoke loudly, earning his attention. "We know nothing about her, yet you call that otaku in such a friendly way?"

_(Isa-chan? Who is Isa-chan?)_

"Shh!" Misaka hissed. "Why are you yelling!?" The Ace of Tokiwadai facepalmed before grumbling. "Kuroko, why do you always react like this? This isn't the time to argue about that!"

"She can't be trusted; she is not even an esp-"

"Stop Kuroko! If that was the case, what about Index then!?" Misaka barked. "Let's just discuss this later."

The boy narrowed his eyes as the two lowered their voices, no longer able to hear them talk.

"I have no idea what's going on here…" Kamijou remarked as he rolled his eyes.

"Neither do I," Konori added as the nun walked to the group on the corner that continued to whisper among themselves. "They tend to act this way most of the time, you are just gonna have to get used to it… I certainly did…"

"I appreciate the advice… So… are you all members of this branch?"

"Only Uiharu, Shirai, Awatsuki and me," The clairvoyance-user said, adjusting her glasses while she put a hand on her hip. "Oh, and a friend of mine that doesn't help much… The rest just visit us often… More often that I would like."

"Why does that sound that like an insult?" Kongou deadpanned, her fan covering her mouth. "It's like you're saying that you don't like us coming here."

Konori folded her arms, furrowing her brows as she sat on a chair and crossed her legs. Kamijou's gaze meanwhile settled on some white furniture that held various miscellaneous files, boxes and piles of paper to pass some time.

"I don't dislike your visits," Konori said dryly. "But when you come this often, Shirai, Awatsuki and Uiharu get distracted and the office work is never done, leaving me with the burden of doing it for them."

Uiharu let out a nervous laugh while the ojou with the fan prepared her reply, but Biri Biri stood at Kongou's side and spoke on her behalf, startling the black-haired Tokiwadai student.

"Sorry about that, Konori-senpai. You always put up with us despite that we're not from Judgment, but all we want is to help a bit, you know?"

"Indeed," Forehead-san nodded in agreement, her hand fanning wind to her face. "Besides, I don't remember being here so often…" Kongou suddenly gazed at Saten. "What do you say, Saten-san?"

Saten blinked twice and chuckled nervously. "Ehm… haha… I think I come here every day since Uiharu introduced us to Misaka and Shirai, right Index?" The nun nodded happily.

"Don't try to play cool, Kongou…san!" Shirai barked as she pointed an accusing finger to her fellow student. "Have you forgotten that you have been coming here since I introduced you to Wannai, Awatsuki and Onee-sama after that embarrassing… event?"

"Y-y-yes, b-b-but…" Kongou flustered, she wasn't the only one becoming red, with Awatsuki and Wannai's faces' joining hers as well. Even Biri Biri let out a soft yelp in surprise as her face took on a dark shade of red. "T-t-that weird child was to blame! He shouldn't have stolen our underwea-"

Kongou stopped, her eyes staring at a certain pointy-haired teen that sported a blank stare. A hostile gaze was cast on Kamijou; courtesy of the girl in question, startling him.

"You pervert!"

"What!? What did I do now!?" Kamijou shot back at her, exasperated.

"It's your perverted face again!" Kongou barked accusingly. "You surely are imagining perverted stuff again!"

"…Again?" Asked Wannai in disbelief.

"Again?" Repeated Saten.

"Again!?" Growled Biri Biri. "What exactly do you mean by again?"

"What the… Hell no! I'm certainly not thinking anything of that sort in this moment, I can guarantee you that," Kamijou retorted, rolling his eyes. "Please stop saying such things; I don't need them mistaking me for a pervert on top of all the other things I have to worry about."

Multiple eyes exchanged looks.

"…Fine…" Forehead-san conceded, grabbed a lock of her hair and sat on the nearest chair. "But I hope you refrain from talking about what you have heard. If you do that then I have nothing else to say."

Multiple eyes exchanged looks again.

"I'm still wondering why you assumed that I was going to talk about that…" Kamijou retorted in annoyance. "Why would I do that in the first place?" And just as Kongou was about to retort back, Kamijou added, "And no, saying that I would because I'm a pervert is not a valid answer," That made Kongou close her mouth and become silent again. The boy then heaved a sigh. "Anyway, what is going to be my first task? I take it that that I will be given one to begin my job as a member of this branch?

"Before anything else, there is something you need to remember, Kamijou-san," Shirai spoke suddenly in a serious tone, as if warning him. "We are an organization that helps Anti-Skill deal with every kind of law-breaker, be it simple thugs, dangerous thieves, terrorists and anyone else that breaks the law."

"Yeah..." Kamijou nodded.

"So as you can imagine, sometimes we will get in dangerous situations where we could get hurt or worse," The pig-tailed girl crossed her arms. "So just you know… This is not a game."

"Game…?" Index tilted her head in curiosity. "Like the one Kazari played a few days ago? The eroge typ-"

"Waaaa!" Uiharu shouted in desperation, face red. "Don't say such things Index-san!"

"But I saw you playing it…" The nun pouted while Saten gazed at the short-haired girl with an amused look.

"Wow… Really, Uiharu?" Saten jumped in front of her friend, cocking her head as she smiled slyly at the now panicking girl. "I would have never imagined that."

"But I… I…" Uiharu's blush deepened as the others, including a certain pointy-haired boy, sweat dropped at the revelation. "W-waaaahhh!"

Running to Saten, the flower-headed girl hugged her friend, looking about to cry. Saten stroked her head gently, and hugged her back.

"Uiharu…" She smiled warmly; however, a sly smile crept into her features. "I had no idea you were into that kind of stuff."

"S-Saten-san!" Uiharu stuttered in shock, tears about to stream down her cheeks.

"Don't tease her so much," Konori pointed out as she sweat dropped, readjusting her glasses as she stood up. "Though I also didn't expect that as well."

After that, the entire female group began to talk about stuff the only boy was certainly not interested in, and their various events of interest to them that, once again, was not related to him or the fact he was a new member of this branch. The boy was simply ignored as things that made no sense to him reached his ears.

Kamijou's shoulders slumped as he muttered his trademark catchphrase.

"Fukou da…"

Raising his gaze, the boy noticed something odd. Unlike the others, Wannai was staring at him; her eyes had this odd gleam to them… Kamijou blinked when she apparently noticed his gaze, averting her eyes away from him.

(Well, that's odd…)

**PART 3**

Kamijou was currently sitting on a beige-coloured sofa, his face and gaze locked on the short table in front of him as he resisted the urge to sigh again. There was a valid reason for it though.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Picture 01

* * *

_(Man... What's with this ridiculous situation...? Geez... I don't want to be here...)_

Even with his eyes focused on the furniture, he could still tell that everyone on the room was looking at him. After being ignored by the girls for about 4 minutes, Konori invited him to have a seat in order to talk a bit before proceeding with his first task.

Needless to say, Kamijou felt very, VERY uncomfortable.

"So Kamijou-kun, we were informed of your special conditions," Kamijou finally raised his head; Konori was speaking as she sat on another sofa located at the other side of the table. "You are undergoing a special training, right?" Kamijou nodded. "As the chief of this branch, it falls on me to know about my teammates so I hope you don't mind if I ask some questions about you."

"Go ahead."

"Okay," Konori smiled as Biri Biri and Shirai, that were sat at Konori's sides looked at him as if they were his senpais, which to be fair, they were in a sense. Kamijou felt that his answers would need to earn their approval if he wanted to avoid future headaches. Though knowing his luck, he was just delaying the inevitable.

"Yomikawa-san told me you wanted to join our ranks, was there any particular reason?"

The boy thought about his answer carefully; it would have been easy to give the simplest reply, which was the name of a certain PE teacher. After all, she is the one responsible for him joining the disciplinary committee; said answer however, would just lead to more troublesome questions to answer and that would not do.

"Circumstances deemed it necessary."

That was his reply, it did not give any information yet it answered this first question despite its lack of substance. That would have to suffice.

"I see…"

"What circumstances?" Asked a certain silver-haired nun.

"Um… Index-san?" Wannai spoke as she sweat dropped. "If he answered like that, it must be because his circumstances are personal, so you see…"

"It's not our business then…" Index concluded as Awatsuki frowned slightly.

Konori crossed her arms over her voluptuous chest while looking thoughtful. The boy felt as if he was being interrogated, yet it wasn't really surprising that they would be interested in knowing about him. He will be coming here every day after all.

"Your profile says that you are 15 years old and have undergone the Power Curriculum Program. The result was… that you are a level 0," A snort was heard in the room but Kamijou ignored it and continued to face Konori. "I see you attend that school… I have a friend there."

"Really?"

The eye-glassed girl nodded, smiling. "Yes…" She cleared her throat. "Back on track, I suppose that my only true doubt about you is..."

"Konori-senpai," Shirai cut her off. "I was thinking that his first assignment as the new member should be doing some paperwork. I could teach him how to do it."

"You just want him to finish the pile of paperwork you left from yesterday, don't you?" Biri Biri commented while deadpanning.

"Eh… Ah… hahaha…" Shirai scratched the back of her hair as she laughed awkwardly, her eyes darting from one side to the other. "I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about, onee-sama. None at all…"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Song 02

* * *

Misaka looked about to retort but to Kamijou's surprise, Saten sat herself on the left side of the couch, sitting at his side.

"So, Kamijou-kun!" The cheerful and energetic girl moved closer to him. "Do you like rumors, gossip, scary legends and stuff like that?"

"Well… It's not like I dislike them…" He replied with a neutral tone.

"What…?" Saten blinked. "What kind of dumb answer is that?"

Chuckling nervously, Kamijou couldn't help backing off a little due to the icy stare she gave him, when another sudden movement came from the other side.

It was Uiharu, her eyes were literally star shaped, showing the same expression she had the first time they met. Kamijou now knew that she was not being manipulated by a certain level 5 because it seemed that the short-haired girl tended to have those eyes whenever she was excited about something. Which at the moment was…?

"So it is true about that special training! They said you are being trained by the elite of the elite of Anti-Skill, Kamijou-san!" Uiharu clenched her fists under her chin in a cute manner, looking at him with true expectation. "How's the special training? Is it very hard? Who is training you?"

Kamijou couldn't even answer one of her many questions due to another interruption. The level 4 black-haired ojou stood just in front of him, pointing at him with her closed green fan.

"Kamijou Touma! You have not responded to me yet!" Kongou shouted with a strong and firm voice while Kamijou just looked at her with a blank stare. "Why haven't you answered my calls or called me? I want my duel, have you forgotten?"

"Duel?/Duel!?" Both Wannai and Misaka repeated at the same time, the latter stepping up to the fan-wielding girl. "Why do you want to have a duel with him?"

"Umm…" Wannai put a finger on her lips as she looked doubtful. "Did… Did you two meet again after that day?"

Kongou twirled her hair in a self-important manner, her lips curling into an indifferent scowl. Nevertheless, her cheeks were a bit red for some reason.

"Yes we have," Replied the girl with an annoyed tone. "In some rather unfortunate circumstances if I may add," She furrowed her brows as she continued. "I rather forget about it, but only when I'm done with him."

"K-Kongou-san! What do you mean by that?" Wannai raised her hands over her chest, a concerned expression adorning her face. "Is… is there something between you two?"

"Yes!" She replied with confidence.

_(Oh boy...)_

To Kamijou it seemed like that she answered without realizing what the question truly meant. Everyone else in the room besides him and the fan-ojou looked startled. He could tell from their expressions that they were obviously misunderstanding her reply. He had to do something.

"NO. THERE. ISN'T." Kamijou shouted, emphasising every word. "She just wants to… eh… fight me for… for some reason that I don't know!"

Kongou, now looking annoyed, raised her eyebrow and glared at him. "You don't know, you say?" Her tone suggested she was indeed as pissed as she looked. "Haven't I told you? You have been rude to me, and I will put you in your place!"

_(That again? I thought she wanted-)_

Her voice cut in through Kamijou's musings. "Besides, you are not a normal level 0 and I need to know why I get that vibe about you!"

_(Ah. There it is…)_

"What do you mean by he isn't a normal level zero?" Asked Saten with an inquisitive tone, the others in the room looking as curious as the level 0.

"I think he is an adept fighter by the way he moved to avoid my attack. That proves that he may be a delinquent," Kongou elaborated while the boy just gave her a blank stare. "Why would a student his age have that kind of agility if not to fight other delinquents?"

"Oh… It was that…" Misaka sighed in relief and Kamijou got another clue that she definitely knew something related to him and he didn't.

"Umm… Kongou-san?" The shy Wannai spoke up, addressing her friend with a shaky voice. "I don't think Kamijou-kun is a delinquent, right Misaka-san?"

To Kamijou's further puzzlement, Biri Biri nodded; she was taking his side!?

"Indeed," She crossed her arms as she affirmed his innocence. "An idiot? Definitely. A delinquent? Not likely."

Kamijou deadpanned at such an excuse used in his defense, but chose to refrain from making any comment about it.

Instead, he decided to address Kongou. "About your assumption, there are two major holes in it," Kamijou raised a finger, "One, why do you think that just because I dodged your attack, that means I'm a delinquent that gets into fights often. Couldn't I just, you know, be in a martial arts club in school?"

"Umm... well..."

The boy raised a second finger, cutting short of whatever Forehead-san was about to say. "And two, do you think that Yomikawa will… I mean Yomikawa-sensei will ever submit a delinquent to special training to join Anti-Skill?" Kamijou, managed to address Yomikawa properly, the last thing he needed was questions about him and his busty sensei.

The others noticed his misstep but decided to file it away for later.

"I agree," Uiharu butted in. "It just wouldn't make sense. Kamijou-san can't be a delinquent because he is here with us as a new Judgment member."

"Why hasn't anyone asked this question yet?" Shirai's voice echoed in the room. "Why did you attack him in the first place?"

"T-that's… Because…" Kongou's voice trailed off, her gaze cast down. "He… He made fun of me…"

_(All that hatred because I called her Forehead-san…?)_

"How so…?" Shirai pressed while Awatsuki and Wannai exchanged nervous looks, both aware of the answer. "To use your power to attack a level 0 because he made fun of you? That's wrong. Anyone would think you are misusing your powers as a level 4, don't you think?"

_(Geez… That does sound bad when one puts it like that.)_

"I-I don't… I…" The girl flustered. "I only wanted to see something…"

"What something?" The black-haired girl that used a flower accessory on her head inquired, her face showed obvious curiosity and interest. "I don't know what really happened between you two but even if he is being trained, Kamijou is a level 0 while you are…"

"Even so," Kongou cut her off, scowling. "Something has been bothering me since we met, and I have to get that off my head."

"And fighting him will clear that doubt?" Konori pursed her lips as if she was about to growl, obviously disbelieving about the ojou's weak excuses. "I fail to understand your reasoning. Kamijou is also right, that logic about Kamijou being a delinquent is just an assumption taken to the extreme…"

Kamijou facepalmed in exasperation when Uiharu moved closer to him, the seriousness she sported was rather cute to be honest but still made him uncomfortable.

"Kamijou-san! You still haven't answered my questions!" The girl pouted. "What kind of training do you do?"

"I really can't believe that this idiot is joining Judgment… Why this branch and not some other one!?"

"That was rude, you know?" Kamijou pointed out to the electricity user.

"Why you see this as a problem onee-sama?" Asked the pig-tailed girl with suspicion clear in her voice. "Despite you saying that you just know him from the street, you are making such a fuss about it."

"Because of what Isa-chan told us, Kuroko…"

A tick mark appeared on Shirai's forehead, sharp eyes directed at her friend. "And you continue to call her like that, onee-sama?"

"I like Isa-chan!" The silver-haired nun moved to them and hugged Misaka. "I don't understand why Kuroko doesn't trust her!"

Kamijou blinked as they continued to argue.

"Who is Isa-chan?" Kamijou inquired, only to be completely ignored.

"Now that you mention it," Saten spoke. "I haven't seen her in a while… She returned to England, right?"

Shirai made a thoughtful expression before turning to Uiharu. "I think you are the last one who saw her before she left."

The flower-headed girl made a surprised expression as her face flushed deep red, making Kamijou suspicious of her odd reaction.

"Uiharu?" Saten peered at the girl that wore the same uniform as her, tilting her head a bit. "Your face is all red. What's wrong?"

"It-it's nothing! This is the normal color of my face!" Was the not really convincing answer she gave her friend. It was unnecessary to mention that her rising nervousness was betraying her already poor attempt to convince them.

"Odd… I remember Isadora-san mentioning that she was going to pay you a visit because she had to give you something before going to the airport," Kongou commented with a thoughtful expression. "Do you remember Awatsuki-san? When we were at that bakery?"

"I do remember, and I don't think I will ever forget that day…" The blue-haired Tokiwadai student muttered, making those who managed to hear her to get curious. Awatsuki noticed the stares directed at her and quickly shook her head to dismiss her odd reaction. "Oh, I mean that I have never met an otaku that cosplayed like her. She was… quite the character."

Maybe it was only his opinion but Awatsuki seemed to be lying, or not saying the complete truth to be precise. Disregarding that fact, what mattered to him and intrigued him the most was this… otaku she mentioned. Isa-chan it was? Or Isadora? Her name sounded as weird as the nun. They even mentioned 'return to England,' so Kamijou thought that maybe the nun was from there as well.

But why would people from Europe come all the way to Japan?

Nevertheless, these were just assumptions. Whether or not Index was from England or not, the fact remained that she was a nun inside the city of science… Just her presence was notable in Academy City.

Also, another thing was that Kamijou began to suspect that this otaku and the girl that supposedly dressed as a witch whom Misaka mentioned was his friend, was the same person; now that he heard that she was an otaku, it was a very plausible possibility.

"…Okay…?" A suspicious Shirai said, sweat-dropping. "So where were we? Oh…" She returned his attention to Kamijou, who was sighing due to thinking about the implications if his guess was right.

"Enough of these useless conversations! We have a more pressing issue here. Kamijou-san's first task as a new agent!"

Finally, someone that was reasonable! Though Kamijou would have never imagined that it would come from the teleporter with tawny-hair. Kamijou could see that Shirai was a very polite person despite the upsetting first impression she gave him.

"Shirai-san is correct. We haven't really done anything besides asking him questions."

"And that's not a bad thing. Haven't I said that I need to be well-informed about every member of our branch, Uiharu?" Konori gazed dryly at the spiky-haired boy before resuming her attention on the student with black short hair. "As leader, it's my duty to know about every one of my members, as I know a lot about you and those two," Konori pointed briefly at Shirai, then at Awatsuki.

"What I meant…!" Shirai raised her voice enough to become the center of attention in the room. "Was that we should see to what extent Kamijou-san's training has advanced…" She stared at Kamijou intently. "How much can someone learn in such accelerated training? And he is not even done with it. I think we should test him to see if he can even act as a rookie for the team."

"And how do you suggest we test him?" Konori asked, voice sharp.

The teleporter smirked. "I was thinking about doing my daily patrol, so he could come with me and Maaya," She looked at Awatsuki and got a shrug.

"I don't mind."

She then turned to the boy. "Kamijou-san, I'm not sure if you have been taught about the responsibilities, tasks, and objectives of our organization. Hmmm… Have you been trained in basic emergency situation responses?"

"Well…" The boy shook his head" Not really… Though I have been informed about the cooperation we do with Anti-Skill, how to contact them, the priorities among some other stuff…"

"I see," Shirai lowered her gaze in a thoughtful manner. "How many days of training have you accomplished?"

"One week of three. I have only been undergoing physical training so far though."

"Then having him to join Shirai-san on her patrol is for the best right now," Putting her embarrassment behind, Uiharu stopped hugging her friend and stepped up to the pig-tailed ojou. "I'm sure that way he will learn a lot."

"I guess…" Everyone looked pensive as some seconds passed…

"Can I ask something?" Awatsuki's voice cut through the short silence, the boy looking at her as she stared back at him. "Why are you joining the branch if you haven't finished your training?" Kamijou could sense a questioning tone in her, as if she didn't trust him. "The training we received to join Judgment was to make us capable of helping the authorities in any given situation. Why send you to the branch if you are not completely prepared and knowledgeable like us?"

"What are you trying to say...?"

Awatsuki lowered her gaze for only a second before her eyes met his again. "...I don't know of what your three-week-long training consists but in the four months we trained, we passed 13 tests that not only improved and tested our physical performance, but also our rapid thinking and logic skills to achieve every task that the protocol dictates."

Okay, that was a really good question, one that he had been expecting since he set foot in the crowded office, and one that he had the answer for.

"It's part of my training to join you, though I will continue my training sessions during the night," Kamijou explained, his gaze locked on the Tokiwadai student that questioned him. "I was told to come here and act as a temporal agent after I take my daily exams during this week. Don't ask me why my trainer wanted this, because I don't know."

Awatsuki frowned and Uiharu made a confused expression.

"It's most likely that your trainer thinks that making you work with an actual team will accelerate your learning process, so you can focus on your physical training," Konori commented.

"Whatever it is, we should head out to start the patrol," Shirai walked to the boy and grabbed his arm, making the boy blink in mild surprise. "Let's go."

…

"What are you doing, Kuroko?" Biri Biri asked sternly after 20 seconds, her left eyebrow twitching as she stared intently at Kamijou's grabbed arm.

"It's not working! I can't teleport!" Shirai freaked out all of a sudden, clearly worrying the others. "I'm trying but I can't!"

_(Teleport…? Shirai is a teleporter? That would explain how she got in the office without me noticing it… Interesting…)_

"Why can't you teleport?"

"I-I don't know! We're still here…" Shirai, unaware of the truth behind the failure of her ability, said with fear. Kamijou shook his head, already seeing the coming trouble. "Why can't I…?"

"The same…" Both Biri Biri and Konori said in unison as Kamijou paled.

"What's going on?" Saten's gaze darted between the two that just spoke. "Why do you two…?"

Before Konori or Biri Biri could reply, Kamijou stood up from the sofa and cleared his throat.

"I think it's better if I explain this myself before anything..." With those words, the focus of every girl was directed to him again. "The reason why Shirai can't…" Kamijou cast at quick glance to the girl. "…Teleport is because… of the ability I possess."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Song 03

* * *

As the boy pretty much foresaw, shocked expressions of varied levels emerged on the female group, with the exception of the two that already knew of his power.

"R-R-Really!?" Both students with long black hair stuttered, Kongou was even scowling.

"B-b-but! You are a level 0, aren't you?" Uiharu walked to the boy, asking in a serious manner, that expression on her cute face did not suit her at all.

Shirai, who looked thoughtful, finally raised her head, facing him with a startled gaze. "Well, that would certainly explain why I can't teleport him…" After saying this, Shirai let go of his arm, suddenly disappearing, only to reappear at his right side.

"I suppose he is indeed doing something to prevent my power from working. Could you please stop using it so we-"

"I can't," The boy cut her off instantly, his eyes showing disinterest. "I can't control it… whatever my ability is…" His left hand massaged his shoulder as he continued. "It just negates anything supernatural that comes in contact with it."

"But how do you trigger it?" Konori interjected. "You didn't manage to answer that question in the Furiai Plaza."

Kamijou sighed. To tell the truth at this point was unavoidable, and even if he kept for himself the truth about the nature of his ability, it would be just a matter of time before they found out. Still, Kamijou felt uneasy, there were just too many ears and he would have rather kept the Imagine Breaker known by just a few; however, under the circumstances, he did not have much of a choice, did he?

"My… Right hand… The nullifying power comes from it…" With confused expressions, some of the girls were about to speak, or more exactly ask about this but Kamijou continued. "I don't know much about it, but all I can tell is that I held this power since I had use of reasoning."

"That's amazing…" Her words did not fit much the face of Saten, she was frowning. "With such ability, why are you labelled as a level 0?"

"I'll repeat what I was told back then," Kamijou noticed that even the nun was paying close attention to him. "This power can't be detected or measured, that is why the power curriculum program marked me as a zero."

"S-so y-you are the one I heard about?" Saten's tone rose in shock as Shirai's brow twitched. "There were rumours about someone who could do it… I can't believe a level 0 could pull off something like that… And it's… it's you…"

"So I was right, there was indeed something different about you, though I haven't had the chance to see it," Kongou opened her fan and with it, covered her mouth. "Why did you hide something like that?"

Kamijou rolled his eyes in exasperation, resuming his sitting position on the sofa while folding his arms.

"Can't you see? This exact situation is why I don't like talking about my ability!" Kamijou growled. "I have no idea why I have this power, but it's there. And yes, only my right hand has it," Kamijou leaned back, supporting his back on the coach. "Don't ask me why, because I don't know either. The only thing I do know is that anything my right hand touches whose origin comes from the supernatural is simply negated… I'm tired of this… Interrogation!"

Some of them were startled; a couple of them looked irritated as the rest frowned.

"…It's… understandable…" Konori swallowed saliva and then continued. "Sorry for treating you like this… It's just that…" The eye-glassed girl sighed. "…This is so unusual. Your data doesn't show anything about this ability of yours."

"Because it can't be detected."

Konori blinked… "You got a point."

"What about magi-?"

Misaka grabbed the nun and covered her mouth with a hand, nervous expressions emerging within Saten, Uiharu and Wannai. What was she about to…?

"What are you doing?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"N-nothing! It's just that Index is a bit… eh… she is into some magician girl TV shows lately so she has been talking nonsense," Index pouted at Misaka's words, making the electric girl face the nun. "Don't give me that face! We have talked about this before and you still keep doing it!"

"But… but… Mikoto, you are being mean…" Index moved to Uiharu and enveloped the flower-headed girl in her arms. "Kazari! She is being mean to me…"

Uiharu blinked as she received a glare from the Railgun and an expectant gaze from the nun. Seconds passed as Uiharu seemed panic more and more, her gaze darting frenetically between them.

"Well… I… Well… Umm…" Uiharu stopped, finally sporting a serious face that soon turned into one of mild fear. The flower-headed student returned the hug from Index and closed her eyes while shouting. "Wahhhh! Misaka-san! Please don't be mean to Index-san!"

"W-w-what? I-I'm not being mean to…" Biri Biri sighed, and muttered. "You're taking her side again? Why I'm always the bad one…? Geez…"

"Why don't you show us then?" Awatsuki walked to him, her eyes cautious. "Shirai can't teleport when your right hand is touching her, we saw that. So how about you actually use your ability against a more tangible skill, like the one of Misaka-san."

Kamijou cast a quick glance around, the female congregation seemed to approve that idea, with the obvious exception of Biri Biri, who now looked annoyed.

"But… that would be a bit risky…" Uiharu commented as she glanced at him, concerned. "Even if Kamijou-san says it, Misaka-san could really hurt him if his ability doesn't w-"

"It works…" Misaka interrupted, a slight spark appearing and moving through her bangs. "I have already tested my electricity on him when…" The sparky ojou scratched her cheek sheepishly. "…when I thought he was with a group of delinquents, I attacked him and saw how he stopped my lightning spear with my own eyes…"

_(Was it that way? That's not what I recall... She just began shouting out of nowhere and chased me like some crazy wolf! Biri biri is lying; why would she lie to her friends…? That's it! I'm going get the truth out of her when the others are not around…)_

It definitely will be something that'll get him in trouble but Kamijou would rather know about it now than ignoring it and getting caught off guard later.

"Why that doesn't surprise me one bit, onee-sama…?" Shirai sweat dropped. "I totally understand now…" She turned and bowed to Kamijou.

"I'm sorry for the behavior of onee-sama, Kamijou-san. She sometimes can get a bit…" A short glance was cast on Misaka before the teleporter continued. "…Let's go with energetic…"

Misaka's cheeks flushed bright red as she moved to her underclassman, pulling the cheeks of Shirai like she was a naughty child.

"Kuroko!"

"Wy'm sowy, owe-sawa!" Shirai tried to apologize amidst her babbling, but failed as Biri Biri continued her assault on the petit girl's cheeks. "Owe-sawa! Wit wurts!"

Some chuckles escaped from the girls on the room, although Kamijou noticed a deep gaze directed at him as the laughter died. Saten Ruiko was looking at him with a serious look.

The awkward moment came to an end when Misaka spun around and raised a fist, multiple light-bluish sparks jumping wildly across her skin.

"Let's just show them how your hand works already!"

With no further warning, a small arc of lightning made its way to the unsuspecting boy, making him step back while raising the Imagine Breaker.

The lightning bolt crashed into his hand, instantly disappearing with only a noise both Kamijou and Misaka knew, echoing loudly to signal that the lightning bolt was negated.

It was unnecessary to say that the spectators of such an event were struck speechless.

"Hey, Biri Biri! Could you at least give me a heads up!?" Kamijou shouted in irritation. "Just what is your problem?"

"It is true…" Kongou remarked in disbelief.

"Did that really happen?" Konori said in awe. "This goes beyond anything I have seen, and I've seen my fair share of esper skills…"

Kamijou lowered his hand and scratched his head. The short table in front of him had some light burns, he was glad there wasn't any magazine or paper that could have started a fire.

"Well, you said you did not want an interrogation so this explains everything, right?" Misaka gave a quick glance to the group. "No more questions, right?"

Electricity flowed across her bags, the stern tone she used made some of them gulp. If her voice somehow didn't convey her message, the intense glare she sported certainly did.

"No more question from me…" Saten said nervously.

"Y-yes…" Kongou turned around, faking an uninterested expression, which was somewhat unconvincing due to her obvious nervousness. The spoiled ojou was as bad as he remembered when it came to acting. "I-I-I don't have any more questions…"

The group remained silent for some seconds, Konori being the only one not intimidated by the Railgun. "I agree with Misaka, that explained just everything, though not why such power exists or why it is within you."

"I'm sorry but I don't have answers for that either," Kamijou stood up, face troubled as he walked to the entrance. "So are we going on patrol or not?"

His irritated tone caused some mixed reactions among the girls. Shirai lifted an eyebrow, looking amused while Konori gazed at him questioningly.

"Fine then, but first," The pig-tailed member of Judgment made her way to a desk and reached her hand into the only drawer in it. From it she retrieved something and walked to the still irritated boy.

"Here, you will need these," Shirai stretched out her hands to him, holding some handcuffs and flares, which he accepted and put in his pocket as Konori walked up to him.

"Konori-senpai?"

The eye-glassed busty girl kept her gaze on the boy and nodded slowly.

"From now on you will be carrying this for as long as you remain in Judgment," Konori said and handed him a green armband, the object that would mark him as one of their agents. "Wear this armband proudly and help us make this city safe, Kamijou."

"..."

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Picture 02

* * *

The boy blinked at her sudden smirk and accepted the armband that held the symbol of his organization, gratefully smiling back to not only Konori but at Shirai, too, who was smiling as well. He stared briefly at the symbol in the armband, musing about the future.

"Yeah… let's make this city safe…" Kamijou spoke, smirking fiercely.

Despite the doubts about him and his rare ability, their apparent knowledge about some events related to him that he could not remember and chose to hide from him, the perceptible hostility he sensed during the interrogation and the many awkward moments he endured during it, Kamijou found that every one of them nodded at his words, even Misaka and Awatsuki, who so far had showed a certain degree of dislike towards him.

Kamijou put the armband around his right arm and used a clip to hold it in place. The boy examined it for a few seconds before his attention was directed back to the group around him.

"It looks good on you…" Wannai commented, face red.

"Yes it does!" Uiharu remarked happily.

"We should have a celebration party later! We have a new member in the team! Wai!" Suddenly, Saten exclaimed much to their surprise, raising both arms to the air, followed by the nun.

"Wai! A celebration party means a lot of food so I'm in!" Index added while Konori adjusted her glasses, sweat dropping.

Cheers came; shouts of excitement resounded in the room, yet Kamijou noticed the glares coming from Biri Biri, Kongou and especially, Awatsuki. Unlike the others, they didn't seem to approve of his association with this branch.

Whatever it was, Kamijou was determined to make this work, earning the respect of everyone in the branch. If he wasn't trusted, he would not be relied on to help, leaving him with only one option, he would need to show them with his skills that he was trustworthy.

"Let's go then," Shirai finally said as she walked to the door. "Through the stairs… such a bother…"

"Sorry…" The boy chuckled nervously.

**PART 4**

As always, Kamijou Touma was wrong.

He thought that his situation would improve after leaving the office; yes… he actually thought that… He was damn wrong.

Kamijou found himself walking along District 7 streets as he followed Shirai Kuroko and Awasuki Maaya. After leaving the branch building, he had not exchanged any words with the other members, the two busy talking amongst themselves. Their talking and Kamijou's uncomfortable silence was making him, well, uncomfortable.

And so, the trio strolled down the streets, observing their surroundings in search for any sign of suspicious people or trouble. Kamijou's eyes moved constantly between the two girls ahead of him and the area around them, both talking casually as he was simply ignored by them.

20 minutes passed as their patrol continued uninterrupted.

_(I guess this area is fine… We should go to other districts…)_

"What about the profiles that were sent to the branch this morning by Anti-Skill?" Shirai asked to the girl at her side. "Did you read them?"

Kamijou's head perked up as he overheard their conversation.

"Yes, I revised them," Awatsuki replied. "Most were level 0s from a new group of Skill-Out, a rookie faction in fact. I think it was named…" The girl took some seconds to continue, her eyes on the sky as she seemed lost in thought. "…The Zero Hunters."

_(**Zero Hunters**…?)_

"How come they were captured inside a supermarket? I remember the report mentioning something like that."

_(…Supermarket…?)_

Awatsuki directed her gaze to the sky again, this time, her index finger on her chin.

"A civilian called and informed of a riot occurring in district 15. The group's leader was found unconscious when Anti-Skill squads arrived, and their members were arrested but set free after the investigation concluded."

_(…Leader found unconscious…? Don't tell me…)_

Both girls stopped at the corner of the block, as the boy did. The green light changed to red, and vehicles began to move. Their conversation continued.

"Set free?" Shirai inquired, face startled. "Why they were set free?"

"The testimony of the Supermarket's cashier. Apparently, they did not start any sort of incident, it was more like they entered in a group to the establishment and someone panicked and called Anti-Skill. Something doesn't fit though…"

"And that is?"

Seconds passed while Awatsuki seemed to recall the content of the report, Kamijou feeling more and more anxious.

"While the Zero Hunters said that their leader tripped on something and hit his head on the furniture, the cashier revealed that it was a student that actually hit him," As the girl explained, Kamijou widened his eyes in shock. "From what he saw, this boy was defending someone from them."

_(Those guys… They hid the fact that I… Well, they're good people… I will need to apologize to the dude I punched… His name was Aibatsu if I'm not mistaken.)_

Kamijou, out of his thoughts, directed his gaze forward. Awatsuki merely glanced at him over her shoulder in that moment before the steps of Shirai advancing made the blue-haired ojou follow her schoolmate. The traffic lights changed back to green.

"Shirai," Awatsuki began. "What if something happens? Don't you think we should tell him to stay back? We don't need him obstructing our job."

_(That was rude… She's practically calling me a burden, isn't she?)_

"For the first engagements at least…" Replied Shirai, still facing forward. "…To let him see how we handle the situation."

"No offense, Shirai, but you're not exactly the best example to follow," To the teleport-user's apparent surprise, Awatsuki scolded. "No matter how many times Uiharu and I tell you to act according to the disciplinary committee rules, you always rush in without asking any assistance, and what's worse is that you always leave us behind."

"How many thieves would have escaped if not for my intervention?" Shirai retorted, bothered by her friends words. "We can't always depend on Anti-Skill to arrest them."

"But our main purpose is to be their eyes, so they can act when needed."

Kamijou raised a brow in amusement as both Tokiwadai students began an argument about following Judgement's protocol and whatnot. Even after a couple of minutes, they continued arguing to the point that both looked about to attack each other, making him realize that both were close friends that cared for each other despite having different points of view.

Kamijou couldn't help himself and smiled at their antics as he walked to them, his goal was to calm them down.

"Now, now…" Smiling reassuringly, Kamijou interrupted them. "Why don't we focus on the patrol? I'm sure that there will be time to solve your proble-"

Kamijou stopped short when two scary glares were directed to him, the boy already sweat dropping due to the intensity of their intimidating stares.

"Did you say something, Kamijou-san?" Despite the smile Shirai sported, the coldness in her tone made him wary, her eyes lacking any emotion did not help matters.

The boy darted his eyes between both ojous, but only until his attention was drawn to a group of suspicious looking teens standing by the next corner of the street ahead.

"No…?" Kamijou replied as he ignored their almost tangible hostility, gaze still locked on the group. "I mean, yes!" Kamijou finally faced the twin-tailed girl. "There is a shady-looking group over there that just started looking at us."

With a motion of his head, the girls were directed to look behind them, both getting visibly tense upon seeing the suspicious group of teens not that far away from their location. The teens wore clothing that only furthered their suspicion… Headbands, jackets of dark colors and jeans were more or less their overall clothing.

"Should we make a pre-emptive strike?" The boy suggested.

Shirai looked at him sternly. "No… They haven't done anything yet… So we can't just arrest them for looking suspicious."

"W-wait a minute! Shouldn't we contact Anti-Skill and wait for reinforcements?" Awatsuki stammered as Kamijou and Shirai readied themselves. "Not again…"

"I've told you this many times before, Awatsuki. We can't wait for Anti-Skill to arrive; who knows what would happen if we let them do whatever they want while waiting for reinforcements," She explained. "Not to mention that contacting them just because of our suspicion would be foolish. Our duty is to prevent any sort of crime from happening if possible."

"She's right," Kamijou agreed. "We can't stay here, doing nothing!"

Shirai nodded at his words, while Awatsuki blinked at them. With no further notice, Kamijou moved forward, earning a soft yelp from the long-haired girl.

"W-wait, Kamijou-san! This isn't how we should handle the situation!"

Ignoring Awatsuki's pleads, Kamijou advanced with strong steps on the pavement to the band of people, when suddenly, the twin-tailed teleporter appeared before him, glancing at him briefly.

"Sorry, Kamijou-san…" She smirked. "But I'll take point."

Kamijou widened his eyes as Shirai disappeared, only to reappear in front of their objective. "Heh… let's see then."

Without wasting a moment, the boy dashed forward.

Upon arrival, Kamijou noticed the pale and nervous expressions amongst them, with Shirai making the same pose as he remembered Konori did in the Furia Plaza as she showed them her green armband.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 07 Section: Song 04

* * *

"But we haven't done anything!" One of them retorted. "Or is it a crime to be in the streets now? You just can't arrest us!"

Shirai made a confused expression and tilted her head. "Hmm? Arrest? When did I say anything about arresting anybody?" Her tone suggested she was acting intentionally creepy. "Or is there a reason for me to arrest you?"

The suspicious teens exchanged nervous glances before shaking their heads, Shirai's smile widened at that reaction.

"If it's like that, all I ask of you is to disperse please. You may have noticed that you're scaring the people passing by, I could charge all of you with disturbing the peace with just that."

Drops of sweat trailed down their faces as the group contemplated their current situation, looking paler due to the implications hinted by her obvious warning. Eventually, the teens nodded, turning around and left peacefully.

"I appreciate your cooperation, misters…" Said Shirai, bowing to them as they walked away. "Remember to behave in public!"

The boy crossed his arms, giving her an amused stare. "Well, I thought you were going to do something different but it worked, so I can't judge," Kamijou nodded approvingly, thinking about the authority the Judgment armband brought to those who wore it.

Soon, Awatsuki arrived to their location, panting but looking relieved.

"Let's hope they don't cause any trouble in other areas," Shirai commented while scanning the area in search for something of interest.

Kamijou stared at the petit teleporter. Despite her young age, her eyes showed confidence in herself, bravery and conviction; traits not usually seen in girls her age… Not that he was one to talk, even as a 15 years old teenager; he could truly say that whenever someone was in danger, he would just put any fear aside and take action.

Even if he would rather not admit it, Kamijou somewhat felt a kindred spirit in her.

Upon closer inspection, the boy admitted Shirai was quite a cute girl, her pig-tails improving her 'Moe' power… The boy shook his head, what was he thinking?

His gaze then moved to the other ojou next to the teleport-user.

Awatsuki was in contrast not as confident as her partner, and from what he just witnessed, not as daring. The blue-haired girl struck him as someone kind the first time they met, yet she now seemed a bit hostile… The odd glares she shot at him in the office exposed her mild disgust towards him.

He could still tell that Awatsuki, while different, also had her own kind of charm; her body was more attractive than Shirai's… Now the real thing about her… What was her problem? It was not surprising the curtness Biri Biri and Forehead-san had displayed to him due to certain events in the past. However, he has not done anything to earn Awatsuki's disapproval, has he?

"Yes…" The aforementioned ojou nodded. "Though for a second I believed that you two were going to… attack them."

"I can't speak for Kamijou-san, but for what kind of savages do you take us for?" Shirai deadpanned.

_(…I was actually planning to intimidate them… Guess that was one way of being aggressive to someone, too…)_

"Anyhow, let's proceed with the patrol."

Having said that, Shirai moved forward, followed by Kamijou and the other Tokiwadai student. Without himself realizing it, Kamijou found himself casually talking to the pig-tailed esper as they continued to scout the streets of District 7 with no setback arising.

This time, it was Awatsuki Maaya who remained silent…

**PART 5**

"Here miss, your purse."

Kamijou said to a woman around her thirties, extending the hand that held the aforementioned item. He along his two partners were in a park located near the Tokiwadai dormitory that was a couple of blocks away.

"I'm really grateful," The woman received the object, smiling warmly.

"And what do you have to say for taking something that didn't belong to you?" The spiky-haired boy reprimanded a boy looking down at the floor.

"I-I'm… I'm very sorry miss! I shouldn't have done that! It's just…"

The desperate apology from the little boy made the trio of Judgment and the woman smile.

"…" The woman remained silent, gaze locked on the nervous child before grinning, a comforting hand now being placed on the little boy's head. "I see you truly mean it… So I will accept your apology. Just don't ever do something like that again, okay?"

The youngster nodded frenetically and bowed. "Yes, miss! I won't do it ever again, I promise!"

After that, the boy ran away and reunited with his friends that were close by.

"Well, I'll be on my way, too." The woman glanced at the street at her left. "Again, thanks a lot. Judgment is as always, very helpful." The woman nodded at the trio, Kamijou grinning.

"It was no problem. Take care, miss."

The woman flashed a smile, turned around and left. Kamijou waved his hand to her for some moments as she finally disappeared from his sight.

"Hmmm…" Shirai made a sound, as if amused. "That wasn't bad, Kamijou-san. You solved the problem quite effectively, just as a member of Judgment should do."

"You even made the boy apologize," Awatsuki pointed out.

Kamijou scratched his head sheepishly, a little embarrassed by their approval. He really didn't do anything worth of praise, he just quickly found the boy that stole the purse of that woman, who hid in a tall tree between the thick branches.

"Anyway, should we get going?" The boy said, turning around.

"Yes…" Shirai's voice was heard from behind, and soon the sound of her steps, along with the ones from Awatsuki.

And so, Kamijou Touma walked forward, feeling more positive about his new position… As a new Agent of Judgment.

**PART 6**

"That cat was fast, but you caught it anyway, Kamijou-san. That speed is because of your training, I suppose."

Kamijou nodded, smirking.

Many things had happened during their patrol, minor things to be precise, like finding a lost cell phone, taking two little brothers to their mother, cleaning a whole street with brooms and pursuing a reported lost pet, which was the cat Kamijou just caught.

"Indeed," The boy resisted the urge to chuckle. Actually, Kamijou didn't even try; it was more like, he caught the cat by accident.

"But I think the cat was just unlucky to have crossed my path, I tripped on it, remember."

He guessed the cat had been probably stunned due to having his weight falling over it, making the task of catching it much easier to accomplish.

"You're probably right," Shirai smiled. "Still, you were really fast. Even with my teleport, I could not catch it."

"Cats' senses are more enhanced than humans, so it really isn't a surprise if the cat could detect your presence when you teleported near it," Awatsuki commented, advancing to Shirai's side as they returned to their branch office. "And I heard some scientist found out in an investigation that animals could sense the AIM Field espers produce, so you see..."

"I know that, Awasuki," The pig-tailed girl deadpanned.

The boy observed the two girls as they continued to converse for a bit, and then faced the sky.

_(This isn't bad, Judgement indeed helps people... Though they do some things in ways I don't expect... But what's more important...)_ The boy looked forward, determined. _(Now I can continue my patrols during the nights... Even if I'm battered by Tsukino's training...)_

Some time passed as they neared their destination. It was 5:47.

"Hmmm?" Kamijou blinked at the sight of two people standing in front the entrance of the yellow building in which the their branch office was located. "What the...?"

"Yomikawa-san?" Shirai tilted her head to the side, looking startled. "And... Someone from another school..."

"I'm glad you're doing fine, Yomikawa-san," Awatsuki greeted the woman, and glanced at the busty girl accompanying the woman.

Kamijou's jaw was hanging, his eyes were wide. The reason behind his current shock was the presence of the ever hard-to-understand Fukiyose Seiri, who was standing at the side of Yomikawa Aiho.

"It's good to see you two doing your job as always," The busty woman said to the ojous, her eyes then moving to him. "Ah... The armband suits you, new agent-chan!"

Kamijou blinked at his sensei's playful words while the other busty female, Fukiyose, nodded approvingly.

"Yeah... It's... odd to see you wearing that armband, but it does suits you, Kamijou."

The boy remained silent. Instead of replying, he glanced at his two companions as both apparently knew his P.E. teacher.

"It's just an armband," He responded in a uninterested tone, sighing. "I don't get why everyone say it suits me, but I guess it doesn't really matter. What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Just came to pick you up for your last study session," Yomikawa answered casually. "Fukiyose said she wanted to come with me to see where your branch was so she could visit you, too."

At her words, The Iron Wall Girl made a cute sound, her cheeks reddening a bit.

"Why did you... I didn't..." Fukiyose sighed. "...I suppose I... I suppose I did, didn't I?" She said to herself, her voice weak as her hand played with a lock of her hair in a nervous manner. "I was a bit curious."

"...Okay?" Kamijou scratched his cheek.

"I take that Yomikawa-san is your teacher and..." Shirai cast a quick glance at the long-haired student. "...Fukiyose-san is your classmate."

The pointy-haired teen nodded. "Yeah, I should present you. She is Fukiyose Seiri, like you said, a classmate."

"And very good friend," The presented girl added; her tone a bit bothered.

Kamijou blinked, and then observed her while she folded her arms over her voluptuous chest. Fukiyose noticed his stare and moved her face to the side, eyes closed and looking rather annoyed. On the other hand, Yomikawa first looked confused and then visibly frowned as if she realized something she didn't like.

"Nice to meet you Fukiyose-san," Awatsuki bowed respectfully, smiling kindly. "I'm Awatsuki Maaya and she is Shirai Kuroko."

The teleporter bowed slightly at her. "It's a pleasure."

Fukiyose smiled at them, all while Kamijou observing carefully.

"So!" Yomikawa spoke up, her cheerful expression back. "Should we get going?"

Kamijou nodded, walking to her.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Kamijou-san," Shirai bowed slightly to him as well. "You did a good job today."

"Thanks... You both did a good job, too," Kamijou raised a hand in sign of good-bye.

"See ya tomorrow!"

Awatsuki nodded, odd eyes observing him while Shirai smiled as she walked to the stairs of the building. The boy watched them go up before entering Yomikawa's car along with Fukiyose, the boy sitting in the back seat with the his busty classmate. Yomikawa grimaced for some reason and entered the car.

"Ready for the last study session, Kamijou? I wish I could have participated in more..." Fukiyose said, giving him a weak smile.

"He must be," Yomikawa said out loud from the driver's sit as she started the vehicle. "The exams begin tomorrow."

Kamijou paled, a chill moving across his spine. The boy hoped that his study session would at least help him to get passing grades, despite having insufficient credits.

"Today will be a speed-up lesson, on all the subjects if possible. We better get some coffee before going to your home."

Kamijou deadpanned and sighed wearily at the obvious implications... He was probably going to sleep little tonight. Thankfully, with Yomikawa bringing her car, there will be no risk of her or even Fukiyose wanting to spend the night in his dorm, something he managed to avoid just yesterday. Still, Kamijou could sense something odd between the two busty females on the few study sessions they had together as if... The boy shook his head, trying to avoid weird thoughts that wouldn't be of any help.

In any case, Kamijou knew that a long night was ahead of him, much to his dismay.

"Fukou da..."

"That again?" Fukiyose glared at him.

"Geez..." Kamijou sighed yet again... A freaking long night it was going to be indeed.

* * *

**Tomonee: Boo, the boss says no Beta Note's for the chapter because he needs to explain stuff. No fair!**

**SPOILER ALERT.**

**I would suggest that the next notes should be only read by those that have read the To Aru Majutsu no Index light novels, including New Testament.**

**So, maybe you have noticed or not, but there are two major changes that needs to be addressed. After reading NT 11 this came to my mind keep the plot as I planned. One, Awatsuki Maaya is a member of Judgment, and the reason for this will explained in later chapters, also this will explain how Kongou Mitsuko befriended them and Mikoto's group at an earlier time. Let's just say that in my story, Awatsuki Maaya, along with two other characters play an important role during the Mental Out Arc of NT11. A hint of this is that… Touma remembers Shokuhou Misaki, right?**

**Hmmm… What could have happened during Misaki's past that prevented Touma from suffering the almost fatal wounds during the fight with Deadlock? Leading the boy to never remember her? Hmm? Yes, the time will come when Misaki's past will be shown, not just the events of the volume but also why Touma is now acting coldly to the blond.**

**Your comments are always appreciated, and thanks for reading. Next chapter will begin the main plot of AUTO and the Graviton Bomber incidents. See you soon!**


	9. Grand Theft AUTO

**Greetings. The canon had begun together with the main events of this new Arc. This will be the starting point of Kamijou's new Road of Misfortune. Sorry for the delay though, but I have been researching quite a bit about other light novels and anime because I'm planning two new stories for the future. You'll notice when soon enough!**

**About the links on the profile, at least the songs can now be accedes easily without the page taking you to top so with a "right-click" and "open link in a new tab", you will be able to enjoy the music, which in this chapter I highly recommend doing so, more with the last ones. About the images, I have put in the profile as to how to access them.**

**Thanks to "Diller" and "Tomonee" for beta-reading.**

**Beta's Note: **

**Diller: Yo This is Diller and welcome to the main events of the first official Arc of ANRoM. The AUTO Arc! I won't spoil what happens but let's just say Touma is having one hell of a first trial as a JUDGEMENT member. But of course its Kami-yan, so that's to be expected!**

**Tomonee: WARNING. The following arc will contain scenes of badassitude so manly that you will grow chest hair by just reading it. Even you, ladies. That is all. (Disclaimer, the first half of the arc mainly sets up the aforementioned badassitude, so some waiting may be required.)**

**End of Beta Note.**

**Frank: Enjoy the ride to the depths of Hell.**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 08: Havoc Purifies the Occult – Grand-_Theft__AUTO**

**Academy City**, located at west of **Tokyo**, was home to 2.3 million people, and 80% of that populace were students. Students that could develop supernatural abilities through scientific means in any school curriculum. Scientific means such as through taking certain kinds of drugs, doing both mental and physical tests. The students that underwent the program were called **espers**, while those that obtained supernatural abilities were called **skill-users**.

Doing the **Power Curriculum Program** did not guarantee successful acquirement of skills, the espers in these cases were categorized as **level 0**. To put it simply, they lacked any kind of ability. Even if these students were to undergo the program several times, the probability of them gaining a skill was below 1%.

Others, who were more fortunate according to most skill-less students, reached level 1 and continued to experience several tests of the aforementioned program to improve their obtained abilities. Skill-users would continuously be examined and checked on to measure their growth as skill-users in order to determine their level and progress through the system scan.

**Level 1** espers could become **level 2**, then** level 3**, **level 4** and finally** level 5**, the maximum level achievable, though such cases were extremely rare, with only seven existing in Academy City.

Exceptions always existed though, even in definitive laws. There were a few people that managed to develop their psychic abilities without undergoing any sort of artificial program. Rarities, as they would be considered by researchers, were persons that obtained their designed skill since born. Such cases were few and far between.

Apart from the research of supernatural capabilities, many companies, universities and laboratories focused on the creation and experimentation of advanced technology, which in fact made possible the advancement of esper abilities.

With technology far more advanced than any city in the world, a lot of resources from these companies were destined to the development of new weaponry, such as fire weapons and military machines, both ground and aerial. These were created in order to keep the perimeter of Academy City protected from both intruders and spies. It wasn't necessary to say that the development of advanced weaponry had other reasons besides the security of the city.

If that wasn't enough, satellites monitored the city to send detailed information and even pictures to the main super computers within the city, used by the **Board of Directors** and the law-enforcer agencies to keep the flow of information safe from intruders as well as to help maintain the safety of the city.

Some experiments and technologies were formed however to replicate esper abilities via macro engineering instead of the micro quantum mechanics, **Personal Reality**, that gave birth to esper skills. Military machines would not only use normal ammunition, such as fire weapons, missiles and the like, but replicated esper abilities to improve their performance in any given situation or confrontation.

Who would have imagined then that the very technology created to keep Academy City secure would end up almost destroying part of it. Not even the head of Directors could have predicted that outcome.

So, in a day that was supposed to be as normal as any, with some minor incidents with delinquents, common happenings in the city, something dreadful will occur. A certain district will become a battlefield, in which those with superior weaponry will emerge victorious, yet the key to their defeat lies within a simple boy.

An unseen and dangerous enemy will emerge, and the Dark side of the City of science will not stand idly by. The beginning of chaos, a vengeful plan, the recovery of order and a final confrontation on a certain district will make **July 16** be remembered as a grim, eventful and chaotic day.

And… it will start now…

* * *

**PART 1**

"Just let me put this on your arm and on that tube, and… done. Easy enough, don't you think?"

Current date: **July 16th**.

**District 7,** despite that focusing on middle school and high school institutions, was not solely composed of structures that fitted its purpose. An example of this was the **Underground Complex**, or **Underground Mall**, a network of underground streets that operated as a large shopping mall; or the **Seventh Mist**, a rather famous if somewhat unfashionable shopping building like the ones from **School District 15**.

Other places of note were the **Hospital of Heaven Canceller** located in the district, the **Automated Bus Maintenance Terminal** and the area for prestigious all-girl schools, the **School Garden**.

In all, this district had several features that separated it from other districts, as if this district was a melting pot of concepts from the others.

Aside from that, it was a sunny day.

A cloudless sky expanded across the city of science, the sunlight bathing the streets gently as students of varied ages strolled from one place to another, conversing about the latest news, gossips and themes of interest for teens their age. Just a normal day indeed…

Or was it not?

"T-that girl attacked us all of a sudden! We were just passing by!"

A shout was heard, directed to a certain pointy-haired boy who happened to be a temporary agent of the **Disciplinary Committee** of AC.

This rather lame excuse was made by a suspicious-looking guy, who wore a yellow cap, a purple shirt and brown pants, an interesting choice of clothing to be sure. The man stepped back in fear due to the green armband that was on the boy's shoulder.

The green armband that was lined with white and had a shield at the middle indicated that the spiky-haired boy in question was indeed an agent of the organization that helped fight crime within the city walls, **Judgement**.

"I know I look rather… normal but seriously, I'm not stupid. Give it up, you're not going anywhere."

The spiky-haired teen responded in a bored tone, whose features were as the boy said about himself, normal. The boy crossed his arms, displeased with his current situation.

Said teen wore his school uniform for summer together with his favorite orange t-shirt underneath it.

A call that informed about criminal activities made **Kamijou Touma**, an unfortunate boy and new member of the disciplinary committee to take immediate action. That started it all, and this was the aftermath.

"S-shut up!" The culprit of the reported ruckus gritted his teeth in impotence, realizing that the best course of action in that very moment would be to take down the Judgement dude, who had proved that was fast enough to follow him all the way to this alleyway. "You'll regret this!"

"Uh huh, sure..." The bored tone matched perfectly his facial expression, as if the warning sent to the pointy-haired teen wasn't even registered. "Besides, I don't think you should concern yourself with me. Look behind you."

A drop of sweat moved across the forehead of the now scared young man as he noticed a new presence standing right behind him. Not even a second passed before he was thrown to the ground, his arm pulled behind his back forcefully to subdue him.

"What the…" The thug choked at the pain brought to his limb.

"So… you were the pest causing the ruckus, I assume."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 01

* * *

**Shirai Kuroko**, level 4 **teleporter** and also a member of the same branch as Kamijou, said with an uninterested tone before retrieving a handcuff from her pocket. Her lips curled into a cocky smile, her tawny-colored pigtails bouncing forward.

"W-we-we-w-Arg!" Before the delinquent could even try to resist, he found himself looking at the handcuff in his arm, attached to a steel pipe on the wall. "Damnit…"

"That was quick…" Kamijou commented with a smile. "Anyway," He raised his hand and pressed a button on the minuscule communication device in his ear. "Kamijou-san here… So Uiharu, where are the other guys?"

The boy gave a glance towards the arrested guy, who sat on the ground. The Judgment boy's finger remained on the small device on his ear.

"This one has been captured so we are moving to the others," Shirai confirmed, standing by Kamijou's side. "Where is Awatsuki, by the way? She's not answering."

"Umm… well…" An uncertain tone came through their radio earpiece.

Both agents of Judgement exchanged glances before dashing through the alleyway, the pig-tailed girl leading the spiky-haired boy.

"This could be trouble!"

"Yeah, we should hurry," Shirai nodded, clearly worried for her fellow partner and friend.

The girl named Uiharu, also member of Judgment and level 1 esper, spoke again through the communication device, her voice nervous.

"I think she is f-fine…"

"Of course she is!" A new voice resounded through the earpieces, slightly irritating both agents in action, yet they recognized the voice in question.

"Please, Index. We are in the middle of an operation, don't distract Uiharu," Shirai deadpanned, fully knowing that **Index**, a nun from **England** living with Uiharu for no clear reasons, would only mess up the communication work that she was managing for them.

"Why don't you just go and see for yourselves…" Uiharu's tone subtly told Shirai, and probably Kamijou that she knew something they didn't. "Take the left at the end of the alleyway and turn left again after another five meters."

"Okay…?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

For some reason, Kamijou had a faint idea of what happened, the captured dude mentioned something about a girl attacking them. From what he knew, there were only a couple of girls that were likely would do something like that. Of course, there was always the chance that his theory was wrong, simply because it could just have been someone he didn't know.

Turning left in two corners, Kamijou and Shirai arrived at the location. The pig-tailed girl made a pose as she grabbed her green armband, pulling it a bit in order to show it more clearly, before stating firmly.

"This is Judgment! We have received reports of criminal activity in this place! Please cease-"

Kamijou palmed his face while Shirai's mouth stopped completely and then…

"Ah, Kuroko and… you…"

"O-o-onee-sama!"

"So that's why Awatsuki's earpiece wasn't responding…" Kamijou said in the monotonous voice that has been his main way of speaking so far, crossing his arms before he sighed. "I probably know what happened, but I'm still going to ask… What are you doing here, Biri Biri?"

**Misaka Mikoto**, **Tokiwadai's Ace** and **Level 5 Electromaster**, capable of controlling and generating electricity, was standing in the middle of the alleyway, and to her side, **Awatsuki Maaya**, level 3 esper and partner of the Judgment duo. Both Tokiwadai girls looked at them, one with nervousness while the other with disinterest.

Several thugs were literally charred and lying unconscious across the alleyway due to the intervention of a certain **Electric Princess**.

"Nothing really…"

**PART 2**

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Picture 01

* * *

"It seems you tend to attract unwanted attention, Biri Biri," Kamijou said flatly. "Not that I'm one to talk."

The boy with spiky hair, followed by the Tokiwadai students, strolled down **Rurino's street**. Anti-Skill had already taken the culprits of the latest ruckus into custody, and they were now heading to their respective schools.

"Yeah, you could say that..." Misaka shook her head, fully aware of the implications of his last comment, even if the boy didn't know how deeply meaningful his own words were. "But, can you blame me? It was over by the time you guys arrived."

"Actually, I was there when you… fried them…" Awatsuki commented nervously.

The dark blue-haired had taken another path to search for the criminals, running into them as they desperately tried to flee from the Electric Shock-user. Awatsuki followed Misaka into an alleyway where all of them were finally electrocuted and put unconscious.

"Seriously… will you ever listen to me, onee-sama?" Shirai made a trouble expression.

"Well, I-"

"Upholding public order in Academy City is for us in Judgment to do," The Teleporter interrupted. "We can't have other people doing our jobs."

Kuroko's motherly scolding tone… That's what Misaka had called it. She has lost count of how many times Kuroko had talked like that, it now seemed rather usual to her. To Kamijou though, it just looked like a police officer warning a civilian to stop getting into dangerous situations, a civilian with deaf ears if what he had seen in the last couple of days was to be believed.

"Yes, Misaka-san… The authorities will start seeing you as a troublemaker."

Misaka shrugged her shoulders, glancing at Awatsuki before closing her eyes; her irritation clear on her face. The electric user knew they were right, but it was not like she would remain unaffected when thugs ganged up on defenseless girls, sometimes with her like it occurred today. If she had the power to do something about it, then why not do it?

"In that case, act faster and get to the scene before something like this happens. Besides, this place isn't as great as its name implies," Misaka stated with mild annoyance. "Even with all the security guards around the city, these kinds of jerks never cease to appear. People talk about technology this, technology that but in the end, this city is not different from others in that aspect."

They were now inside a park, in front of a certain vending machine.

"Well… you got a point, Misaka-san," Awatsuki conceded.

Academy City's advanced technology granted this particular city accessibility to a more sophisticated array of measures in order to ensure total security. To start, the city limits that led outside were lined with walls, only accessible through entry points that required identification and permission to either enter or leave the premises. As for vehicles, infrared seekers and MRI scanners were used to check them.

All districts possessed hidden surveillance cameras located in almost every corner in the streets and inside buildings, as well as in the security bots spread through the city to keep it watched. Despite that, Academy City's top priority was to show trustworthiness, so information was strictly monitored and controlled below the surface.

Although **Hikoboshi II** also functioned as a satellite laser-cannon, both it and **Orihime I** served as camera satellites, gathering detailed pictures of any area inside the city's perimeter, monitoring every district.

The human factor was organizations such as **Anti-Skill** and Judgment, composed of trained students and faculty that dealt with crimes and conflicts. The two were authorized to retrieve information from surveillance equipment within the city to accomplish their job.

Other law-enforcer agencies were the **Emergency Response Organization**, **MAR**, and others that were affiliated with associates of uncertain origins, only known by the higher ups of the independent state.

Unfortunately, security in Academy City had severe flaws in it due to many reasons. One was the lack of actual surveillance in many districts, caused by the destruction of the hidden cameras and security robots, which was one of the various reasons on why any **Skill-Out** member was considered a criminal.

Other breaches in security were caused by the people residing inside the city, like certain organizations or groups that belonged to a side that was hidden from most residents, **The Dark Side of Academy City**.

Getting back on track, Misaka stood in front of a certain vending machine, spun around and without a care in the world, delivered a kick to the machine, all while shouting fiercely.

"CHASER!"

This obviously surprised the rest of the party for what should be clear reasons, Shirai almost tripped. The machine dropped a can drink after the impact.

"You talk about delinquents and then do this?" Kamijou deadpanned while motioning towards the vending machine. "I mean, you're an ojou, do you really need to resort to this to get a free drink? Geez…"

Misaka simply ignored him and grabbed the can of soda that appeared in the slot of the machine and started drinking its contents, all while Shirai and Awatsuki remained speechless, and Kamijou with arms folded, looking anxious.

"Really, onee-sama… Why are you still wearing those terrible things under your skirt?"

Awatsuki blushed visibly at that comment, Misaka almost spat out her drink while Kamijou managed to suppress a groan. Everyone had managed to glimpse at Misaka's odd piece of clothing, which was some kind of shorts.

"That isn't the point here!" The boy pointed towards the slightly smoking machine.

"Wh-where the heck are you l-looking!?" Misaka stuttered, face red. "T-they are easier to move around in and mor-"

In a sudden and unexpected movement, Shirai grabbed both unsuspecting Tokiwadai girls and teleported with them away from the park, leaving a confused teen looking at the can and spilled liquid on the ground. He realised what happened just a bit too late.

"God damn it!"

"**Vending machine #7116 failure. Vandalism occurring. Irregularity in the system confirmed. Criminal target locked on. Capture the criminal.**"

Kamijou looked at the source of the robotic voice.

**Security robots**, automated cylindrical machines designed to protect security and enforce rules, while also being mobile criminal surveillance devices. The machines looked like metal containers with rollers underneath it for mobility, with a green circular device that changed to red when it triggered the alarm together with a siren.

The security robot, unlike the cleaning one, possessed a VR that held information of the basic laws of AC, such as student curfews, violations concerning the illegal use of esper abilities, damaging of private and municipal property, assault and harm to civilians, etc.

They were also a part of Anti-Skill's strategy, standing in front of formations, becoming a barrier for the Anti-Skill personnel during firefights due to their capability of resisting bullets.

And that very same bullet-resistant metal really, REALLY hurt when ramming into someone. Kamijou knew that from first-hand experience during his many 'patrols'.

Suffice to say, the current situation of an unfortunate boy A.K.A. Kamijou Touma was very bad as the security robots had targeted him as the perpetrator for damaging the vending machine as he was the most plausible one.

"For the love of…! Couldn't that Biri Biri be more discreet before acting!? And Pig Tails is no better, leaving me alone like that with these things!"

Maybe it was the usual misfortune the boy experienced on a daily basis, something that no matter what, he would never get used to… and honestly, who would? He knew that having to endure such circumstances was the fault of the unknown ability residing in his right hand, one that could negate all that was supernatural, one that could even negate the blessing of lady luck, hence, his terrible luck.

There were five security robots coming to him, the siren of every one of them emitting a piercing sound, the machine's metallic bodies looked very threatening. The boy turned around and sprinted away from the machines as fast as he could.

"You got to be kidding me! You guys freaking owe me for this!" Kamijou shouted in annoyance at the direction of the rooftop where three girls were standing on, before uttering his trademark phrase. "Fukou daaaaa!"

And so, the boy began his escape, all the while three pairs of eyes observed the scene from a safe spot, which was on the aforementioned rooftop of a building near the park. Amusement, indifference and worry were the emotions showed by three espers of different levels that attended one of the most prestigious schools in Academy City and arguably the most renowned school for girls in the world, the** Tokiwadai Middle School**.

"Kuroko, you shouldn't have left him with those things. He could…"

"He is going to be fine, onee-sama. I've seen him in action after all," The teleporter reassured Misaka. "He's really fast, so it's a matter of time before he loses the security bots chasing him."

"That's pretty cold of you, Shirai, but it can't be helped. You can't teleport him anyway…" Awatsuki said as she put one hand over the railing while Misaka rested her body over it.

"What I want to know is how he knew that we were here. I mean, he shouted towards our direction that we owe him right before he ran away. That's pretty impressive considering we're pretty far away from him."

"Maybe it's the special training he has undergone, he did join our branch unusually early after all," Suggested Awatsuki.

"Anyways, it's becoming pretty late."

Misaka moved her bored gaze towards to the sky, a zeppelin passing over them as it showed a message of the new Railway that would travel through all the districts of AC without exception, with the most advanced train designed for the new railway, the **Groundliner**.

"You're right, we better hurry back to the dorms," Shirai glanced at the person she admired the most, her room companion and then to her fellow Judgement member.

"Should we get going, onee-sama, Awatsuki?"

The Level 5 and Level 3 nodded at the words of the Level 4.

**Between the Lines 1**

**Academy City School District 3**, located at the north of the city, its primary purpose was for accommodating authorized outsiders that included hotels and restaurants. Therefore, it contained a number of exhibition halls, which promoted state-of-the art technology from Academy City to any guest.

From time to time, multiple events were held in the district such as robot shows, motor shows, etc. Technology that has been deemed of an acceptable level to be used and known outside the city was on display, these would be sold to certain companies in the best interest of the City of Science, whether it was for funding or political reasons.

There was a direct railroad that connected directly District 3 to **District 23**, allowing foreigners to gain access to the luxurious hotels and facilities of that district, that without doubt, were the best in Academy City. An underground mall was situated directly below a train station, it was said that one would spend ridiculous amounts of money in any purchase in this mall, and from what some wealthy students mentioned, the rumours were true.

There was also one hidden purpose behind the external focus of this district, which was the rentable **Private Salons**, which were used as hideouts by certain groups of unknown origins. Today for example, a certain group by the name of **SCHOOL**, met in one of the many salons across the district.

"So who do you think are they?"

A boy with light brown spiky hair that wore a puffy vest over his shirt glanced at a machine that could be used as a bag, before returning his gaze to the metallic goggles in his hand, said boy was a member of SCHOOL and was known as **Iron Head**.

Iron Head waited for the man dressed with a suit with no necktie to answer, though he wasn't the only one, there also were two other persons waiting for the response of** Management**, an independent operator that aided several parties in their various schemes, acting as his nickname implied, a sort of manager to their jobs.

Management smiled and spoke casually, the three top bottoms of his suit were unfastened, showing his chest and five mobile phones that were hanging around his neck.

"I'm not sure… yet, but they started to move. It's only a matter of time now," He took a sip from his cup, filled with a red liquid, or more exactly, red wine. "Still, I think you guys should be prepared for anything that comes up. Today could prove to be a very profitable day for us if we act when the time comes."

"Why do I have the feeling that you are hiding something?" Stated a girl with light-colored wavy hair, who was considered beautiful among her peers. The girl wore a showy dress and various jewels on her person; her name was Michiyo, another member of SCHOOL.

"Oh, please. I came here personally, something that I rarely do because I like you guys, and we have a long history between us, right?" Management replied easily, smiling slyly.

"Enough! Don't come here giving us uncertain intel! If you want something, then say it clearly! Or maybe you can't? Did you lose your ego and confidence? Could it be that you can't speak clearly before me? Heheh…"

**Kakine Teitoku** taunted, leader of SCHOOL, and more importantly, a level 5, the second ranked of the seven of Academy City, known as **Dark Matter**.

He had shoulder-length dirty blond hair and sported a dark maroon-colored suit together with a white-collared shirt that were both unbuttoned, revealing a red V-neck under them.

As Dark Matter, Kakine was capable of creating '**unknown matter**', which he used in his attacks, though it should be mentioned that 'unknown' was not attributed to it because this matter was not discovered by humans, but it was matter that did not exist until it was created by him.

The material created with his ability defied the laws of Physics, allowing him to produce 25,000 different types of energy. He could use this substance and shape it any form he desired, depending on the situation and the adversary he would definitely kill with it.

One example of how the dark matter could be used was his six wings. To most that managed to see them, they seemed angelic. With these wings he could fly, create powerful gusts of wind that were affected by the dark matter and have sunlight diffract on it to form powerful rays of light.

Another application was that he could make this matter invisible, capable of creating invisible pressure on any of his unlucky victims without even touching them. He could also create explosions with it as well as granting him super human strength.

To top it off, he learned to run his dark matter over an area's surfaces, obtaining information of past events, like a kind of psychometry. Moreover, through it, he could give it shape and recreate past events before him. He named this **Residual Thought**.

Needless to say, Kakine was absurdly strong, marking him as the second strongest esper of Academy City due to the properties of his dark matter. Almost all who had seen his power had not lived long enough to tell the tale… with a few exceptions of course.

"Don't underestimate me, Kakine-kun," Kakine narrowed his gaze at the mocking tone of the man with telephones around his neck. "I had come here with your best interests in mind."

"Which are?" Dark Matter inquired impatiently.

This ridiculous-looking man was beginning to irk him; the thought of kicking his ass for fun was becoming stronger. However, Kakine calmed down by breathing deeply, and resumed his position on the long sofa he was sat in.

"Speak or I'll make you do it, even if I have to take everything out of your mouth literally, which I can do, as you know?"

Management smiled cockily as he knew that the level 5 would agree with his plan, which would prove beneficial for him and SCHOOL.

"So," The man smirked. "Here's the deal…"

**PART 3**

**[By A certain Tokiwadai field]**

A pig-tailed girl sighed, her hands on her hip. She just finished the designated tests which measured her advance in the power program, and she was not happy with the results.

"I'm not in the zone today… I must be worn out from yesterday's Judgment work… Kamijou-san did help a lot though."

After groaning to herself, a giggle came from Shirai's side, one made by **Kongou Mitsuko**, level 4 esper, whose ability allowed her to control the wind currents, called **Aero Hand**.

"Ohoho! Your future is not so bright if you have to make such excuses, Shirai-san," Kongou teased, hiding part of her face with her green fan as she smirked behind it like usual.

"Kongou…"

Since they met in that eventful day, **May 26th**, a strange rivalry, mostly on the side of Kongou, emerged between the two. This made the long, black-haired girl tease Shirai whenever the chance presented itself, which was irritating sometimes.

"What do you wan-?"

After noticing the acknowledgment of Shirai to Kongou's presence, the long-haired ojou raised her voice, as if to interrupt the teleporter… And well… she did exactly that.

"At this rate, perhaps I will reach level 5 before you."

A sweat drop fell from Shirai's head as she tried to ignore Kongou's comments. She knew that Kongou tended to act like that with her because the wind-user declared that Shirai was her rival and that she would not lose to her. However, this was getting too frequent; it's starting to become a headache for her.

Snorting, Shirai tried to reply to no avail as it appeared that the other level 4 was ignoring her intentionally. "I don't need you comparing our abilities, after all, 11 dimensions are-"

"A-anyway," Kongou interrupted again, her fan hiding the fact that she was blushing. "A-are you going to your b-branch today? I… I… would like to a-accompany you…"

Shirai blinked at the sudden change of environment, where did the proud and over confident girl go? The teleporter was about to retort but a sudden noise and the slight tremble of the ground stopped her, water splashed around nearby.

Murmurs were head among other Tokiwadai students among the area.

"W-what was…?" Kongou began but realization soon hit her. "Oh, I assume its Misaka-san…"

"Yeah, it's onee-sama," Shirai nodded. "Her abilities are being measured in the pool again."

And she was right, the Railgun's destructive power was so high that it couldn't be properly measured without dampening it using the pool, which was expected from the girl that carried the title of Tokiwadai's Ace.

"S-so… I will be coming with you…"

Shirai sighed at the odd behaviour of Kongou, she didn't need her conceited rival to be with her all day. She was rather annoying after all.

**[By A certain Tokiwadai Pool]**

The aforementioned level 5 girl observed the water return to its original state, which was back in the pool. It looked like it was raining due to the amount of water falling from the sky. The shock-user stared at nowhere in particular.

A voice echoed across the place.

"**Result: Initial Velocity 1060 meters per second. Continuous discharge rate – 8/min. Target deviation – 18.6 millimetres. Overall evaluation – Level Five.**"

Her shoulder-length hair remained dry, not even a single drop of water reaching her. She then glanced at one of the three coins on her hand before she looked up to the sky.

"Maybe I should pay a visit to Kuroko's branch…"

**[By A certain Tokiwadai Library]**

"Queen, are you bored?"

A gorgeous girl who had ringlet curls worriedly asked to the leader of her clique, **Shokuhou Misaki**, also known as **Mental Out** due to her level 5 status as mind controller. She was the number 5 of the seven level 5 espers, and was known as **Queen of Tokiwadai**.

Her long blond hair spread over her shoulders and her starry gold eyes remained locked on a silver whistle on the table. Unlike any other Tokiwadai students, she also wore long white stockings and gloves along with her summer uniform.

As her nickname implied, her powers were related to the human brain, which she could control, destroy, add and erase memories from or simply transform it. In short, she could do what she pleased with the brain of anyone who she targeted. She used a television remote control in order to trigger it, although it was not really necessary, it made using her esper abilities much easier… much easier indeed.

Explaining her ability was quite simple; her powers were derived from control of the secretion of chemicals of her target's brain via the control of blood distribution, cerebrospinal fluid, and such inside the brain. Instead of directly controlling bio-electricity, Shokuhou could change its conductive efficiency by controlling the fluid that acted as a catalyst for electricity to flow through.

By doing this, the Queen was capable of preventing the use of powers, movement, sense of pain if necessary, and any other function in any brain she used her ability on. Any person she controlled would have a distinct feature, which was that they would become literally starry-eyed.

There were several limitations to her power though, she could only control 14 persons at a time, if she decided or needed to control more, she could only give them simple commands.

Defensively, she could use her powers on herself in order to apply mental blocks to prevent Mental Out to be used against her, however, these blocks only worked while she was conscious. She could also recall a targeted object's residual memory like a limited form of psychometry. By touching an object and activating her ability through a remote control pointed at herself, she was capable of extracting memories from the object from the past 24 hours. If done on herself, she could extract her memories from a year ago.

As one of her personal rules, Shokuhou divided up her esper ability in categories to facilitate its use. These categories were often used for specifics applications or simple commands, depending on her current need. For her, adding the word category, a number and then its corresponding application helped her concentrate and control her power in a more satisfactory way.

Mental Out was currently sitting on a chair, her large chest slumped over the table in front of her, the silver whistle now on her left hand. As the long lilac-haired elite girl with ringlet curls and eyes that matched her hair said, Shokuhou was indeed bored, and also feeling a bit depressed actually.

Something wasn't right; she had a bad feeling…

"Bored? You could say so…"

"Queen," The clique girl showed true concern for her, but Shokuhou was not in the mood of feigning at the moment, so she stood up and glanced at her briefly. "Are you alright? If there is something you need then…"

"No and, no. I'll just return to my dorm," The blond replied, disheartened. "I feel exhausted; the system scan was rather difficult so I need to rest. Be sure to remain attentive of the network though, who knows what could happen."

"Understood," The perceptive clique girl frowned.

Shokuhou stepped away, and headed to her dorm while muttering.

"I'm going to try to apologize to him again… Later…"

**PART 4**

A certain girl by the name of **Uiharu Kazari**, student of the **Sakugawa Middle School**, walked out of her class as she manipulated her mini-laptop, provided by Judgment quarters. The girl with short black hair wore her corresponding uniform and a headband made of artificial flowers, which she would never admit as a truth if asked.

After the system scan and the normal exams of the day ended, all students were allowed to leave the facilities earlier, but only after doing the respective exams of the day. Though many students remained in their schools because of the clubs, or to study in the classes and the library.

This however was not the case with the flower-headed girl, who was planning on going to the **Judgment 177 Branch office**; she was a member of said branch after all.

Uiharu was a level 1 esper, her ability was called **Thermal Hand**, which allowed her to warm and conserve the temperature of any object she touched. Not a great ability to have, she admitted but it could be rather useful… Mostly when her food was cold.

Due to her talented skills in operating computers, she often acted as ground support and helped her fellow members by hacking any system should that be necessary in order to accomplish their mission. Her work focused on hacking computers and granting support to other members, such as picking up info about troublemakers, criminals or suspects.

The girl knew that even if her esper ability was rather useless in her work as a member of Judgment, her knowledge about computer programs and systems made up for her lack of physical ability.

While not known to many, Uiharu was known as **Goalkeeper**, a nickname given to her due to creating one of the strongest systems in the city of science, which earned her a great reputation. It should be mentioned that her skill made the capture of several skilled hackers possible.

However, there was something odd about her situation and she did notice it. Despite being a member of Judgement, the Academy City's Board of directors apparently didn't trust her abilities and didn't put her in charge of the public system, and she suspected there were shady reasons for that. There were certain files that couldn't be opened despite using the Anti-Skill network, which was believed to grant total access to any information held in the computer brain of the city.

So, Uiharu browsed many archives regarding the captured criminals during the last week, humming a song of a new **Idol** that was getting popular lately.

The girl was rather happy today as the system scan showed she was improving as an esper, however slightly, but she was at least advancing.

"Etto…"

Soon, a voice came from somewhere, making Thermal Hand glance around her, but it was too late, she felt her skirt being lifted from behind, and there was only one person that did that to her…

"U~i~ha~ru!"

Seconds passed, until Uiharu registered her situation.

"EIHH!?"

"Pure white, eh? Pretty normal I guess…"

A girl of the same school as Uiharu commented playfully, who happened to be her best friend. **Saten Ruiko**, a girl with blue eyes and long black hair with a small, white flower on the left side of her head, who wore the same uniform as Thermal Hand.

Unlike the other Sakugawa student, she was very athletic and swift. Despite her mother's disapproval, Saten came to the city of science to become an esper, but failed, marking her as a level 0.

It could be said that Saten and Uiharu were opposites, one being outgoing, friendly, superstitious and a girl of action, while the other was rather shy, humble, only interested in ladylike stuff and a geek.

Despite their differences, they were very close, as could be said about a certain couple of Tokiwadai students.

The wind moved softly under Uiharu's skirt, brushing against her skin… Her face became absurdly red, little tears ready to fall from her eyes.

"KYAAAA!"

There it was again, the same reaction Saten expected from her best friend. Well, any girl would have reacted like that, the level 0 conceded. After all, Uiharu's skirt was not only displayed to her, but to every student going out of the school.

"What the hell are you doing, Saten-san!?" After turning around, the girl reproached with righteous fury.

"Still treating your classmates so formally? C'mon, Uiharu!" With a nervous laugh, the girl with a little flower accessory raised her hands to calm her. "Let's do it one more time to deepen our friendship if that's the case!"

"Nooooo!"

Minutes later, after Saten's shameless attacks, both girls found themselves a couple of blocks away from their school, Uiharu sighing as she sat on a bench. Her friend, Saten, grinned at her as if nothing had occurred.

"You are so cruel… Even Kamijou-san stated his discomfort about this…"

"Hehe… I'm sorry… I guess I always get carried away…" Saten said, a weak smile on her face. "How about if I show you mine to make things even?"

Uiharu frowned, as it was obvious that her classmate was still teasing her. She could swear that Saten enjoyed teasing her to no end.

"No thanks, Saten-san… Geez…"

"So, how was it?" Uiharu blinked at the sudden question, and Saten noticed her confusion. "I mean, the system scan."

Then, the flower-headed girl blinked twice.

The **System Scan**, a testing event that was part of the Power Curriculum Program, determined the progress of an esper, such as how powerful said ability was, how controllable it was, and how easily it would improve and grow.

Depending on the ability of the esper, different tests were made for the students in order to measure their growth, and for level zeroes, several tests were made to determine their attribute's level. So after getting the results, all the gathered information was stored in AC's Databanks.

Both Sakugawa students went through it, and the results were…

"Oh that… Well, I think there was some improvement, but I'm still a level 1… just like in elementary school…" The level 1 muttered, and then continued. "My teacher even asked me: Are those flowers on your head just for show? Use their full-bloom power and make your level bloom!" Uiharu tried imitating the teacher's lecturing tone but to Saten, she just sounded funny.

"Seriously, there are so many openings to poke fun at, but cheer up for now… OK?" The level 0 comforted as she sat at Uiharu's side, feeling a bit hurt by those words. "Anyway, Level 1 is still fine," Her tone changed. "I'm a level 0. No powers, no abilities whatsoever."

Putting her index and thumbs together, Saten made a circle, trying to resemble a 0.

"Oh…" Uiharu dropped her gaze, realizing she talked without thinking.

Saten also noticed that reaction and continued. "But I don't worry about that kind of thing, as long as every day is fun, I'm okay with it," She grinned.

"Saten-san…" Thermal Hand smiled back at her.

"Here, listen to-" Saten was interrupted when Uiharu's cell phone rang; both girls looked at the tiny device. "I guess its Index again."

"Yeah…" Uiharu sighed. "But it was worse before. I had to turn off my cell because she called me all the time when you bought her a phone, remember? Even during classes."

Saten giggled, she remembered how scared a certain nun became when Uiharu told her that she had to attend school and would have to leave Index in her house alone, who was a foreigner living with Uiharu. At first, her excuses for calling were to see if she was alright, then she just called to tell Uiharu about some shows on the TV and to remind her to buy food.

Still, that nun had brought a new world to them, one that was not supposed to exist, one that was supposed to remain hidden from those of Academy City, and one that would only bring danger to those who knew of it, but that would be a subject for another time.

"I'm going to answer," Uiharu said as she picked up her phone. "Umm… Index-san?"

"KAZARI! Why didn't you answer your phone! I was so worried!" A piercing voice came from the tiny device, making Uiharu put it away. Still… the voice could be heard clearly. "By the way, don't forget to buy the eggs and daikon for the oden."

The change of tone made both Sakugawa girls sweat drop, the antics of the nun were rather amusing, but irritating sometimes as well. Every time the subject of food reached the ears of the nun, she literally started drooling; it was like the silver-haired petite girl had a black hole inside her stomach that dragged all food to another dimension, hence her abnormal hunger. This proved to be a very amusing theory for Saten to think about.

The level 0 esper recalled that according to what she read of the Catholic Church in the web and learnt in books, wasn't gluttony a mortal sin? Something that a nun, a servant of god, should avoid doing at all costs?

"Hai… but Index-san, stop panicking please. You make me worried when you sound like that," The voice of Uiharu returned Saten to reality, "And I was planning to buy the food on my way to the branch."

"You are not coming to the house?"

"Not yet… I remember I told you that before leaving," The flower-headed tilted her head before sighing. "You weren't listening to me… right?"

"Ehh… don't forget to buy my deluxe chopsticks, too. If Ruiko is with you, tell her I said hi!" The cheerful voice of Index made both smile. "Bye-bye!"

And with that, the call ended.

Uiharu and her best friend exchanged looks before laughing, after all, they were already used to Index's childish personality and her eternal hunger for food.

Besides, they both have decided to protect her… at all costs.

"Anyway, I wanted to buy the premium album of First Astronomical Velocity! I just downloaded a song from it and it's awesome! Listen!"

After her cheerful outburst, Saten lent one of her earphones to Uiharu, several minutes passed then as the level 1 heard the song, her mood improving.

"Super Sonico-san does have an amazing voice…" The short-haired girl commented, earning a grin from the long-haired one.

"They say this album includes 6 new tracks and this is one of them! I have to buy the CD that goes on sale today. "

"You are going to buy the CD even though you downloaded it?"

Saten smirked, putting a hand on her chin and the other on her hip. Her friend was so naive, lacking the true sense of being a fan, which Saten had. If one was to be considered truly passionate about something, any kind of merchandise released was to be bought, which in this case was of Super Sonico's Band.

"I'm going to get the premium tickets that will allow me to visit them in their dressing rooms after the concert they are going to make in AC soon! Only the first 100 people to buy the premium album will get this!" A solemn expression covered Saten's face. "Besides, that's what a true fan does, so let's go right away!"

"Have you forgotten what I told you before entering school, Saten-san?" The shorter girl asked nervously. "We were supposed to meet with Shirai-san. You… you didn't hear me, too… Why I am always ignored…?"

The level 0 scratched her cheek nervously, glancing down at her skirt. It was not like Saten ignored her friend, but she could say that she was just a bit distracted in the morning… as everyone seemed to be when Uiharu talked… OK, maybe she was indeed ignored.

"Erm… O-oh yeah! Let's go meet with her!" Saten needed to change the topic before the other girl entered her depressed mode. "I still remember the day Shirai introduced us to Misaka and Kongou, when you were investigating that stolen underwear case.

"It was an embarrassing case," Uiharu deadpanned. "But why did you remember that?"

"Well… back then, I was kind of pissed off at the high ranked espers because they tended to belittle those below them. When I first met Misaka, I didn't like her at all because I thought she was a stuck-up rich ojou from Tokiwadai and a conceited level 5," She made an amused smile. "Funny how things turned out that day, huh…"

Thermal Hand sweat-dropped at the memories, she had never been so embarrassed in all her life, and that was something to say considering Saten's usual assaults. Despite the awkwardness brought by musing about the past, Uiharu knew that a certain incident made her and Saten befriend the Level 5, Misaka Mikoto.

"I would rather not think about it… Let's just go meet up with them."

**Between the Lines 2**

"Why do you keep doing this? I told you many times that I'm not interested in having a relationship… Not now at least…"

**Yomikawa Aiho**, PA teacher in a **Certain High School** and leader of one of the squads of Anti-Skill, said exasperatedly to **Hattori Hanzou**, ninja from the pure line of the** Hattori Clan**, his name was after all, the same as from the famous ninja from the **Sengoku** period.

Hanzou was also a member of a large faction of **Skill-Out**, an armed group consisting of mostly level zeroes, whose numbers were in the thousands, with the purpose of fighting for the rights of those that lacked abilities and were bullied. To stop the espers that abused their powers…or so its members claimed.

Both were currently in **District 5**, filled with universities and junior colleges, whose ranks and reputation were much higher than in other districts, while establishments such as department stores held a more mature and relaxed atmosphere.

"Am I not enough for you? Tch… Is it because I'm with Skill-Out and you're from Anti-Skill?" Hanzou frowned, crossing his arms over the black clothing he wore, composed of loose pants, a vest over a white-pointed t-shirt with white borders, which were more noticeable on his collar. Finally, the ninja used some sort of bandana with the same pattern as his t-shirt, wrapped around his head.

"While not the main reason, yeah, that could actually be another one," Scratching her cheek lightly, the dark blue-haired woman that wore a green jersey said dryly. "Stop sending food and jewellery to my apartment. I bet it all comes from a questionable source."

The ninja had to admit that she was right on that point. All the stuff he had sent to her home in **Family Side**, an apartment complex located in District 7, had come from his latest mugs and robberies of the last few months.

Since their meeting in that eventful third **Friday of June**, he had irremediably fallen in love with the woman that tried to arrest him and his partners for stealing an ATM… literally.

A ridiculous escape and chase ensued, but they were finally captured by the Anti-Skill officer and interrogated after that. And so, a couple of weeks passed before they were set free, much to the woman's surprise. Yomikawa suspected that someone with influence must have moved some strings to free them.

Since then, the heir of the Hattori clan had been trying to get Yomikawa's attention with gifts, even committing crimes to make her appear when he felt like seeing her. An associate of his, **Hamazura Shiage**, had gotten him the woman's address, so Hanzou had been sending stuff to her apartment from time to time.

It was unnecessary to say that this attention was not appreciated by the woman, she actually thought him as an idiot, but Yomikawa had to admit that this guy was interesting… and as slippery as his two partners. Every time they saw each other, she tried to capture him, yet the delinquent somehow managed to escape her grasp, which became very irksome to her.

More ridiculous was the fact that this man was romantically interested in her, not that he wasn't attractive and sort of amusing, but he was a delinquent and she was the police… Not to mention that she already was… unsure of her feelings.

Anyhow, this was her chance to capture the Skill-Out member again.

"Well, I have nothing to say to that," Hanzou folded his arms. "You must know that my intentions with you are as pure as my lineage. I really want you, Yomikawa-san and I'm not going to stop until I get you."

"I'm going to get you first. Not in the same sense you are thinking, obviously," Yomikawa sighed. "I'm going to arrest you for the charges of mugging, robbery and interference with a public servant's duties."

"Really? I want to see you try…"

Hattori Hanzou smirked.

**Part 5**

**District 7's Joseph's Coffee and Restaurant**, a quite notable establishment within the city, rather known for the frequent visits of two level 5 espers. The restaurant served coffee, desserts and a variety of meals.

Inside it were Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko and Kongou Mitsuko, having a nice dinner as they chatted about the latest fashion trends…or not…

"And that guy started flirting with me and it gave me goosebumps!" Misaka leaned on her seat, scowling. "Besides, he looked like a clown and had that perverted face… ugh…"

"Well onee-sama, he was one of your fans, and I know how fed up you are with them as they are always pestering you, however, there are always exceptions, right? Uiharu was and still is your fan, so not all fans are bad."

Kongou bit the straw of her lemon soda as she glanced at the other two Tokiwadai espers before dropping her gaze; of course, Shirai noticed it as she sat in front of the black-haired girl.

"Kongou? Is something wrong?" The teleporter inquired.

"Eh…? Erm… No! No…" She blinked and stopped frowning. "I was just thinking how popular Misaka-san is; I bet it stresses you quite a bit in your life."

The electromaster seemed surprised so she glanced at the ojou that sat at her side. The undertone Misaka sensed in her voice bothered her a bit, as if she was jealous, but knowing the wind-controller, that was just part of her personality. After all, Kongou once told Misaka that her goal was to become a level 5 like her, so she could be the **Star of Tokiwadai**.

"Sometimes it is but it's not like I can do something about it. I don't let it bother me… much, though any 'male fan' or 'male whatever', will be punished if they try to flirt or impose upon me or any girl I see."

"That was sort of what happened today, I guess…" Shirai muttered, remembering the fried state of the delinquents she found in that alleyway this morning. "Anyway, I have planned today's events for us, and by us I mean for onee-sama, Uiharu, Saten and me. So when are you leaving Kongou?"

The girl with a notorious forehead glared at her rival before shaking her head with disinterest, that question was rather rude after all. Misaka also glared at her underclassman.

"I'm only here because you said that you would go to your branch office, so why are we here? I appreciate seeing Misaka-san and hanging out but please do not lie to me."

"I didn't lie. I was planning to go to my branch office, so let me ask you this? When did I say that I was going right after leaving school?" Kongou did not respond so Shirai continued. "So you assumed by yourself that I was going directly to the office without asking, didn't you?"

"Eh… but…"

"But nothing!" Shirai cut her off. "Your misunderstanding had brought you here, so just deal with it. I should be alone with onee-sama right now, planning our dat-" The pigtailed girl stopped herself, but it was too late, Misaka's glare intensified as she took a tiny book from Shirai's side of the table.

"What's this?" Misaka opened the book as her roommate's face became blue quite fast. "It says…'Using Uiharu and Saten as an excuse to go on a date' plan."

Shirai desperately tried to take the book back but a hand from Misaka on her face stopped her, while Kongou's frown evaporated, an amused smile now painting her features.

"Quite reproachable… Using your friends for those indecent purposes…"

Kongou's comment worsened Shirai's situation; Misaka read the book out loud with contained anger, ringing the alarms of the now shivering pigtailed girl. This sort of stuff was becoming more and more usual, not to mention irritating for the level 5.

"Step 1: Deepen relationship in a family restaurant." Misaka begun. "Step 2: Lingerie shopping – purchase sexy underwear."

Kongou almost spat out her drink at that, simply because she already had experienced an embarrassing and rather bothersome event with bold underwear together with a certain spiky-haired boy. The Railgun continued reading the contents of the small book.

"Step 3: Perfume Shopping – Purchase aphrodisiacs. Step 4: Eliminate both Uiharu and Saten," Misaka's tone was becoming darker as Kongou blinked, feeling nervous. "Step 5: Love Hotel check-in with Onee-sama."

Several sparks crossed the esper's bangs, causing both level fours to shriek. At this rate, Aero Hand would most likely become a victim of collateral damage. Just… how low and perverted was her rival, Shirai Kuroko?

"So you basically act generously towards your friends to only take advantage of them in order to perform your own perverted fantasies... Am I wrong?"

"E-e-eh…" Shirai was sweating uncontrollably. "Um…"

Before any of the two level 4 knew it, Misaka threw herself over the table in order to grab her perverted friend's cheeks to pull and squeeze them hard.

"I'm building up some serious stress here and you're not helping!" Misaka shouted.

"W-walm dowm, owee-sawa…"

To Shirai's surprise, Misaka stopped. The shocker was gaping at the outside window of the restaurant as Kongou did the same. The teleporter directed her gaze to it and her eyes widened due to a boy with pointy-haired boy looking at them through it with amusement painted on his face. He then waved his hand at them mischievously.

"Y-you…"

"K-Ka-Kamijou Touma!" Kongou stood up, face red.

Behind him, Uiharu Kazari and Saten Ruiko were deadpanning.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Shirai Kuroko glanced at the people gathered around the table, inside the café.

She was sitting in the middle with Kongou at her side, Misaka remained at the left of the table with the rookie of Judgment next to her, and finally, at the right, Uiharu and Saten took their respective seats.

Misaka continued to barely touch her glass of water with some cubes of ice, Kongou seemed reluctant to drink any more of her lemon soda for some reason, Uiharu had asked for a Strawberry Sunday, said to be the favourite of demon hunters, though no one had any idea why the waitress made that joke. Saten ordered a strawberry soda while Kamijou just asked for a glass of water.

Shirai took a sip of her tea and glanced at the only male on the table.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 02

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"Kamijou-san, I'm surprised to see you here," She began, earning his attention. "So, you were heading to the branch office, I assume."

"Yep," He replied easily. "But on my way I ran into them," Kamijou briefly looked at both Sakugawa students. "So I thought of sticking around with them for a bit. They brought me here and you know the rest. Thanks for leaving me with security robots by the way."

Shirai smirked at the tone of sarcasm used in the last words, while Misaka sighed. The rest blinked in confusion.

"I trust that you managed to get away from them without causing any trouble."

Kamijou nodded, putting one elbow to rest over the surface of the table, his hand supporting his face as he looked rather bored than annoyed.

"You still owe me an apology for that you know," Before either Misaka or Shirai could respond, someone else spoke out.

"What are you two talking about?" Asked Saten with curiosity.

Kamijou explained, "Well, basically Biri Biri kicked a vending machine to get a free drink and when the security bots arrived, Pig Tails here teleported away with Biri Biri and Awatsuki, leaving me to deal with the robots."

Misaka and Shirai flinched a bit because it really did sound quite bad when Kamijou put it like that. The others were also looking at them disapprovingly.

"That's wasn't very nice Misaka-san, Shirai-san," Admonished Uiharu.

Kongou said nothing but her scowl deepened.

"As always, not ladylike at all," Saten grinned as she thought it pretty funny. She was still amazed that students from a rich school acted like Misaka did. It was a refreshing change, to be sure.

Misaka couldn't take it anymore, "Alright, alright, I get it. I should apologize, right?" Misaka stood up along with Shirai, they exchanged a look and the both of them bowed slightly and said at the same time.

"Kamijou Touma, we are sorry for leaving…" But before they could finish, Kamijou interrupted them, sitting up straight and looked at them straight in the eyes.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm not mad or anything. It's just that Saten asked what happened and I explained."

Misaka spoke up, "Well, that was easy. Then why didn't you say this earlier?"

Kamijou smiled and continued, "Because it's good to know that you two can admit that you did wrong. I think that's very rare for someone in your positions," For some reason he couldn't understand, they didn't look at him and were a little red in the face.

The others had various reactions; Uiharu was surprised, Saten had a sly smile on her face while Kongou's frown almost seemed permanent at this point. All three of them decided to pursue the matter another time.

Misaka, in an effort to divert the topic, said. "O-OK, now that's done. So, should we go hit the arcade? I'm really bored…"

Shirai also chipped in, "We are straying so much from my schedule, and more people keep appearing…" The level 4 teleported muttered, and then sighed. "At this rate, my dat-"

"NO DATE!" The Railgun shouted as the rest sweat dropped.

Shirai dropped her head. "Fine…"

Uiharu giggled at the antics of her childhood friend until she noticed the expression of the girl next to her, Kongou seemed upset as her gaze remained focused on her drink and solely on it.

"Kongou-san? Are you alright?" The sudden question brought everyone's attention to the black-haired ojou in question, who blinked twice.

"Oh… I…" Her eyes darted between them until they stopped on the boy, before it returned to the flower-headed girl. "Yes, I was just thinking about the exams."

"I see," Uiharu nodded and resumed to eat her dessert, wondering why Saten haven't reacted at all. "I suppose exams are always a thing to make anyone worried."

Misaka stared at the odd expression of the level 4 and noticed Aero Hand kept gazing at the male in the group from time to time with her closed fan on her mouth. The Railgun's brain couldn't help but to create possible and irksome explanations behind Kongou's suspicious behavior.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Picture 02

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_(Did he do something to her? He did, didn't he? Maybe he is a perv after all, capable of doing shameless things to her.)_

Kamijou began to feel tense.

(..._Why do I sense this intense, yet unreasonable glare?_)

The spiky-haired boy narrowed his gaze as he felt a glare at his side, quite an intimidating and penetrating stare to boot. The others didn't seem to notice it though, with one exception of course.

"Onee-sama? Why are you glaring at Kamijou-san?"

The direct inquiry almost made Misaka yelp, Kamijou in contrast appreciated it; he was of course interested in knowing the answer.

"Eh… haha…ha…" She laughed nervously. "I wasn't glaring at him…Why would I do that?" Misaka then turned to the unsuspecting boy. "I mean, would there be a reason for me to glare at you?"

"I certainly don't think so…?" Kamijou scratched his cheek and looked forward; Saten was staring at him now. "Ehem… Saten, do you know something?"

"No."

Her rather abrupt response surprised Kamijou. The boy couldn't help but feel that a very uncomfortable atmosphere was building up around their table. Shirai looked around suspiciously, there were many odd reactions around, and apparently she was as confused as him.

"I wonder why things have gotten a bit weird… hahaha…" Uiharu commented in an attempt to sound cheerful. The discomfort was almost palpable even for her. "Eh… oh! The graviton bomber is still on the loose! There was an attack yesterday in District 15. Fortunately nobody was injured, the Judgment member in the area managed to evacuate everyone in time."

"That's good news," The boy commented as he now was now relaxing.

"Indeed it is," Shirai nodded, arms crossed. "But we can't let these attacks continue. The affected areas are getting exponentially larger with each explosion… Someone will eventually end up badly wounded if these aren't stopped."

And just like that, the slightly relaxed mood became immediately tense again.

The graviton attacks began in **July 5**, which were at first minor incidents but kept scaling up as they continued. The last explosion caused a lot of damage, destroying the street and damaging many buildings. The only suspect was a level 4 that possessed an ability that made these explosions possible.

However, this level 4 fell into coma for unknown reasons even before the explosions began, eliminating the possibility of her being the culprit behind these attacks.

"We need to keep searching, that's the only way we'll capture the criminal," Uiharu said before taking another spoonful of her dessert.

"Hurry up, Uiharu! We're waiting for you to finish your food!" Saten spoke hurriedly. "I'm getting fired up for some fights in the arcad-!"

None of them heard the last word due to an explosion outside the restaurant. The people in the establishment instantly panicked, hiding under tables or just running. The Judgment members quickly moved out of the building, only to see black smoke coming out of a bank nearby, in front of the Furiai Plaza.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 03

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"Could it be…?" Kamijou gritted his teeth as he ran to the source of the commotion, followed by the rest of the party.

"What's happening?" Kongou asked in fear.

The alarms of a bank sounded loudly as people fled from the area, Shirai scanned the surroundings and quickly glanced at Uiharu.

"Uiharu, contact Anti-Skill and check for any casualties," Shirai moved forward, only to stop when a certain spiky-haired boy and rookie member of her branch was already at the site of the incident.

The male teen already wore the Judgment armband so the other two members put their respective armbands on as well.

"What is he…" Shirai muttered and then shook her head. "A-anyway, please hurry, Uiharu."

"Kuroko!"

The pig-tail girl glanced over her shoulder at her onee-sama and then at her rival, both looked ready for action but that just wouldn't do, neither of them belonged to Judgment and this was her duty, not theirs.

"Stay back, onee-sama, Kongou," Shirai commanded.

"If you think I'm just going to stand here while something like this happens then you've got another thing coming!" Kongou Mitsuko spoke fiercely, earning a mild surprised expression from both the Railgun and the teleporter. "Don't think I'm going to let you have all the credit, either! As a level 4, I, Kongou Mitsuko will help you deal with this!"

The smoke and debris began to spread across the damaged street.

"I'm sorry, but I will not allow that," Shirai replied curtly. "Maintaining the security of Academy City is Judgment's job. Besides, Kamijou-san also said so," Misaka and Kongou scowled, yet the pig-tailed girl continued. "Both of you should learn to behave in these situations; after all, we do this to keep people safe, in this case, you."

Aero Hand tried to retort but found herself at a loss for words, eventually dropping her gaze. Misaka on the other hand smiled a little, fully understanding the reasoning and conviction behind their words and actions.

Saten remained silent as she was startled, too. Meanwhile Uiharu talked over her cell to an operator of Anti-skill.

"Yes!" Thermal Hand, who was some steps back, began her report of the current situation. "A robbery is in progress in front of the bank on 7th street! Requesting immediate support and mobilization of Anti-Skill!"

Shirai wasted no time and teleported away.

**Part 6**

Eight males exited the bank, appearing out of the smoke from the building's burning entrance. The group wore black jackets over dark colored t-shirts and pants of the same color. The obvious criminals used white headscarves to hide their identities from all witnesses.

"Come on! Don't just stand there," One of them said to the group. "Let's get our asses' outta here! Hurry up!"

Acquiring more manpower had proved to be very beneficial as the group managed to assault the bank in less time and way more efficiently. So after acquiring the goods, the robbers headed towards to their planned spot where an escape vehicle waited for them.

However, they all stopped when someone stood before them.

"Hey…" With an easy-going smirk, a spiky-haired boy massaged his neck as he stood in front of them, as if trying to prevent their getaway. "Could you guys stop?"

The thieves looked at the boy. There was nothing out of the ordinary with him, so who was this brat to demand anything from them? And then they noticed the armband on the boy's right arm, making them realize what was happening.

"Judgment? Tch! Who's this kid?"

"Erm… How did it go again?" The boy crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "Ehem… You guys are under arrest for… eh… robbing a bank and wrecking that door?"

To the thugs surprise, a girl appeared out of nowhere by the boy's side. Was that chick hiding behind the boy's back or something?

"What sort of proclamation was that? Are you seriously asking them?" Shirai scowled while face palming. "You didn't even show them your armband."

Kamijou stared at her blankly. "So?"

The nerve! The boy still did not understand the meaning of being an agent of Judgment much to Shirai's irritation and even dared to question her. Showing the armband was not an obligation, but it was important to make the criminals acknowledge it. After all, it could prevent unnecessary violence if the criminals gave up.

"More of them?" The fattest of the group said with scorn, before glancing at his buddies. "This is ridiculous, they're just two kids. Take them down quick before the real cops arrive!"

"Is Judgment shorthanded or something? Ha!"

The group moved towards the two naive students that for some odd reason were arguing before them. "Huh? They're not ignoring us, are they?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 04

* * *

The robbers stopped in their tracks, sporting varied levels of confusion as they stared at the odd couple. Misaka's party, who remained at the other side of the street, looked on with stunned expressions at the ridiculous scene, all amid the noise of civilians fleeing the scene.

"Dumb? Tell me. What's so ridiculous about doing this?" Just as Shirai finished talking, she made a pose, tugging at her green armband tightly.

"This isn't the time to argue about this!" Kamijou shouted at the pig tailed girl, and despite what he just said, the boy ended up responding. "And it looks kind of stupid, so don't ask me to do it because I'm not going to listen! It's embarrassing to do that pose in front of anyone!"

"Well I'm not embarrassed in the slightest when I do this!" Shirai retorted with a reprimanding tone, crossing her arms as she glared at the rookie. "Besides, it seems you've also forgotten about the basic laws of the city and their violations."

"Well I don't need to know those complicated terms to see of what they're guilty. Didn't they just rob a bank?" The boy said while pointing a finger at the dumbfounded thieves.

Shirai gritted her teeth, Kamijou narrowed his gaze, tick marks appearing on both their heads as they continued to yell at each other.

"What are those two doing!?" Misaka said in disbelief, a drop of sweat on her head.

"Have they forgotten that the robbers are in front of them?" Saten pointed out nervously, Kongou putting her hands over her chest in fear.

The robbers finally snapped out of their trance and acted.

"Piss off idiots!" The fat robber, followed by a tall one, dashed towards them.

"Watch…!" Misaka tried to warn as the thugs neared both unsuspecting Judgment members that had their backs turned to them, making them easy targets.

The fat one got ready to punch the boy only to get surprised when Kamijou suddenly ducked under the punch and quickly elbowed him in the gut with his right arm, making the would be assailant double over, the pain sharply increased when he got a knuckle sandwich uppercut courtesy of Kamijou's left arm, sending him sailing back towards his partner.

Needless to say, he was down for the count.

"Out…" Misaka finally finished.

The thinner thug grunted and stepped back when catching his injured companion. "What the hell!"

The boy seemed unaffected as he kept a serious gaze on them, the other brat by his side looking oddly relaxed. Another thug charged at him and sent a clumsy punch aimed at the boy's face, and received a flurry of blows to the chest for his trouble after Kamijou effortlessly dodged.

"Tch! This bastard!" He growled as he stepped back in pain, fear emerging on the robber's faces as they realized the boy was no normal teenager, his eyes didn't show any concern, much less fear.

"Want to go again? It's rude to interrupt people talking you know," The boy taunted as the thugs now looked unsure. "No? Then let me do the ho-"

In mere seconds, two thugs closer to him were knocked out cold by two kicks they received from the teleporter, both hitting them on the back of their heads as she used her esper ability, **Teleport**.

Kamijou crossed his arms and smirked at his companion, who returned the gesture.

"Fuck! W-w-we got a teleporter here!" One of the remaining five criminals stuttered, letting the bag with money he carried fall to the ground and run away.

While Shirai Kuroko's ability was called Teleport, she was better referred to as a **Space Manipulator User**. This allowed her to teleport anything in her possession or even herself (though only after becoming a level 4) a certain distance in the blink of an eye.

There were some limitations to her ability like the distance she could teleport something, which was 81.5 meters away from her with the weight of said object being a maximum of 130.7 kilograms. However, she made up for this by teleporting objects inside her designated range with perfect accuracy while also being able to change their resulting orientation.

As with any other power, her abilities had flaws. The most prominent being the need to concentrate on where she or any object and person would be teleported to, because even the slightest disturbance in her concentration would render her abilities useless. Such cases were a massive pain according to her.

Shirai merely glanced at the thug that tried to escape and sighed.

"Where do you think you are going, mister?" The level 4 vanished yet again, only to reappear over the fleeing thug, directly drop kicking him.

"Shirai, are you trying to make me look like an idiot? I'm here too, you know?"

The pig-tailed girl giggled. "What gave you that impression, Kamijou-san?" Her insincere tone brought a smile to Kamijou's face.

Only four remained. Needless to say, the spectators were impressed by their little demonstration. Despite their earlier argument, they now looked like partners that trusted each other completely.

"They sure are amazing…" Saten commented while Misaka nodded approvingly.

Kongou observed them closely and puffed her cheeks in jealousy. How long have they known each other? Half a week at most? Yet they looked so surprisingly close, that even Misaka and Saten noticed it.

"Please! You must leave, this place is too dangerous right now," Uiharu pleaded to a tour guide who ran towards them, earning the attention of the others.

Misaka and company approached them, Thermal Hand was trying to stop a Tour Guide from entering the park.

"What's wrong?" Misaka inquired, looking worriedly at the desperate woman. "Why are-?"

The woman shook her head and spoke, interrupting the Tokiwadai student.

"I can't find one of the girls!" The news shocked the students, but she didn't pay any heed to this. She had to find the girl; after all, the woman was responsible for the safety of every boy and girl that she was assigned to. "Just a moment ago, she said she was going to get something she forgot on the bus but she's nowhere to be seen!"

Misaka opened her mouth to reply, yet a certain ojou with a large forehead took one step forward and spoke confidently, stopping her. Uiharu blinked twice at that.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kongou turned to Misaka and then to Uiharu. "Let's search for the girl immediately!" She commanded.

"Right…" The Railgun accepted grudgingly. There was no time to waste, she could get annoyed later.

"I'm coming too!" The level 0 by the name of Saten Ruiko spoke up then, determination in her voice and face. "We should be able to find her faster if more people go."

Misaka and Kongou nodded at the Sakugawa girl's words, the girl's safety was priority. Who knew what else would happen during the capture of the bank robbers… leaving a little girl alone around the area was not an option.

Meanwhile, another thug lunged towards the Judgment agents with a knife ready to slice them up. The others underestimated them; he won't make the same mistake. A weapon also intimidated an inexperienced fighter, making them hesitate, and that could mean the end of the fight.

The thug was not going to be stopped just because of some brats playing cops. He was not going to lose the bag that held his money even if he needed to inflict wounds on the kids.

Unfortunately for him, the two were more than accustomed to dealing with armed foes.

And thus, as he made his silent proclamation, Shirai teleported behind the robber after ducking under a slash and kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble forward and hit a nearby lamppost really hard with his face.

"Another one down, Kamijou-san," Shirai smirked. "Should I take care of the remaining criminals?" With a mild mocking tone, the girl asked, as if challenging him.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll handle the rest," The rookie responded with an equally mocking tone, walking forward with his hands in his pockets.

"Then I guess I don't need to hold back," A black haired thug raised a hand, a ball of fire materializing on it, which grew larger as he continued to talk. "Even if you change your mind now, I'm going all out!"

"Another pyro?" Kamijou commented with mild surprise. "This'll be the second time I face one," Kamijou prepared himself. "So don't underestimate me."

**Pyrokinesis**, or **Ignition Power**, was the psychic ability that allowed an esper to create and manipulate fire. By raising the motion of particles in the air or in any combustible material, an ignition can be started and then enlarged through the pyro's ability.

"W-wait up dude!" One of his companions put a hand on his shoulder as if to stop him. "Don't fight them, we have to esc-"

"Like hell I'm escaping now!" The thug roared as the Judgment kid dashed at him with amazing speed. "I'll show them to not mess with me!" The ball of fire was thrown, heading directly towards the foolish boy.

In one swift movement, Kamijou stopped and sidestepped, avoiding the burning projectile completely, but the smile on the thug's face told him it was not over. The ball of fire changed its trajectory, moving to the left until it completely turned around and headed towards him again, surprising the teen.

"Well, that's new…" Kamijou commented before back flipping to evade it. "So you can control its direction? What level are you?"

The thug didn't even have time to answer as he realized that his own attack was about to hit him.

The concentrated sphere of fire exploded in mid-air by the pyro's will. Even if the thug could create and control fire, once it was thrown, it could only be stopped if the fire was decompressed, unleashing an explosion such as the one that just occurred.

The three thugs covered their eyes to shield them from the heat, just like the Judgment boy did, yet the level 0 knew this was his chance to act, so he sprinted forward regardless.

Shirai observed from afar how the boy circled the fading fire and smoke as he approached the criminals. Soon, the pyro noticed the boy getting close, and generated a new fireball over his left palm and threw it at his target.

The boy did not falter despite watching the burning ball about to hit him. Unperturbed, the teen sent his right hand in the form of a fist as if to punch the fire attack.

To the robber's surprise, upon contact, the sphere evaporated into nothingness, only a high-pitched sound echoing across the street as the punch continued its intended course and impacted with the fire esper's face, knocking him out.

The two remaining thugs panicked at the sight of the only esper in their group lying unconscious at their feet, the Judgment boy staring at them stoically didn't help.

"Give up, don't make this harder for yourselves," The law enforcer boy spoke in a harsh tone. "You don't need to end up like the rest of your partners."

The kid in front of them was not normal, not normal at all. He did something to defeat the pyro, not to mention that his friend, the brat with teleportation abilities had taken down four of them without even sweating.

They were surrounded.

However, one of them had one last ace up his sleeve that could be their chance to escape.

The braver robber pulled out a control device from the pocket of his jacket, making Kamijou and Shirai widen their eyes. The teleporter tried to act but it was too late, the thug activated whatever that device triggered.

An explosion occurred and came from the already wrecked bank.

The bomb sent everyone, including both Judgment members, flying away. Misaka turned around in shock as she saw her closest friend lying on the ground and feared for the worst. She immediately started running towards her.

"Kuroko!" Yet, she found herself blinking and sighing in relief when the pig-tailed girl rose from the floor, massaging her head. "Geez, you almost give me a heart attack."

"Onee-sama…" Shirai gazed at her nearing roommate, and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I only have a little headache right now… but I truly appreciate your concern."

"I'm glad to see that you guys are fine," Saten appeared together with Kongou and Uiharu, looking relieved. "For a moment I thought…"

"W-where is Kamijou Touma?" Aero Hand suddenly asked.

All the girls exchanged glances as they noticed the lack of presence of a certain boy, not even the thugs were around as far as they could see.

Kongou stepped forward and created sixteen ejection points before her, several gusts of wind forming in each point she created. A couple of seconds passed and all the ejection points were activated.

The fire and smoke was dispelled from the affected area with the powerful gust created by the activation of all the ejection points, only to reveal that a certain pointy-haired boy was chasing after a thug.

The thug didn't even last 10 seconds as the boy tackled him. He then shouted to the pig-tailed girl. "Shirai, immobilize them so they won't try to escape."

Shirai nodded and teleported near the rookie, sweeping her hands over her tights, where she carried many metal darts. All the metallic needles disappeared, only to reappear on the clothing of every criminal on the ground, pinning them to the solid surface.

"Damnit!" The trapped delinquent cursed. "I remember now! A teleporter that is merciless and wicked! She'd rip up un your mind and body if she catches you!"

Kamijou rose to his feet, deadpanning. "She's not that scary…" The boy commented to himself and glanced around.

"Who might you be talking about?" The girl behind the odd rumor sweat-dropped while the others let out soft chuckles, further annoying the pig-tailed girl.

"And there's another who even rules over that teleporter's mind and body," The scared delinquent continued to babble. "The Strongest Electromaster!"

"I-I don't rule over anyone's mind and body!" An embarrassed Misaka stammered due to the implications brought by the absurd statement.

Shirai made a dumb expression while the rest of the group looked away in discomfort.

"Anyway, where's the last thug? The smoke didn't let me see where he ran,"

Several blinks followed his question, but then Kongou spoke up, her voice filled with anxiety. "Oh no! We need to find the girl now!"

"What?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

"There's no time to explain!" Misaka turned around. "Help us find her."

**o-0-O-0-o**

Two minutes passed while the tour guide searched for the girl along with the teens.

"We're not a small group, so where the heck did she go?" Shirai growled.

"She's definitely not in the bus, let's search the plaza again," Saten called back.

"She isn't here," The Judgment boy commented with a frown.

The group gathered after the short futile search, the tour guide now looked pale.

"What am I going to do?" The tour guide's panic level was rising exponentially, and who could blame her? She would be held responsible for the girl's disappearance if she was not found.

"Anti-Skill should be arriving soon, with their help we'll find him. Don't worry miss," Uiharu tried to cheer up the woman, however, the short-haired girl herself felt scared for the child's well-being.

"But how could a girl disappear like this?" Saten sighed wearily, feeling more anxious. "At this rate, we won't-"

A sound stopped Saten right in her throat, the sound of an engine to be precise. The group turned to see a grey car being started roughly a block away by the remaining thug, and to their dismay, a girl was in the co-pilot sit.

The girl was crying.

"I see… That bastard kidnapped him," Kamijou said darkly, startling the others.

The Ace of Tokiwadai gritted her teeth in anger. She could easily stop the car with her skill as a Shock-User; however, if she did so, the girl would definitely get injured, so what was she supposed to do?

"If that man leaves, who knows what's going to happen to the girl!" Uiharu exclaimed with clear fear, the tour guide by her side on the verge of tears.

"That won't happen," Shirai smirked, the boy behind her chuckling.

"Have you forgotten…?" Kamijou asked with a teasing tone and Misaka realized what he was talking about. "Of what Shirai is capable of?"

With that, the teleporter vanished and appeared in the back sit of the vehicle, surprising both passengers. Misaka and Kamijou glanced at each other before smiling.

"What the fuck!?"

"If you'll excuse me," She calmly said, as if asking permission. Before the thug could even react, she put a hand on the shoulder of the scared girl and the other on the steering wheel of the vehicle. Both the boy and the object vanished from the car.

"S-seriously!?" The last robber's jaw dropped as he realized that his only way of escaping literally blinked away right in front of his eyes.

The teleporter appeared in front of the group, a little girl by her side and a steering wheel in her hand. The tour guide broke into tears as she fell on her knees in relief, the others smiled and laughed as Shirai Kuroko raised the hand with the steering wheel in triumph.

"He isn't going anywhere anytime soon," She commented in a playful tone.

Uiharu and Saten checked the girl. Fortunately, she was a bit shocked but otherwise unharmed.

"Then I will take care of this!" Misaka raised the sleeve of her shirt as sparks jumped wildly from her bangs, walking in a not at all lady-like way. "That guy needs some shock therapy!"

"Onee-sama! I already told you that…" Shirai blinked. "Where is Kamijou-san?"

**o-0-O-0-o**

A spiky-haired boy stood in front of a vehicle with no wheel, inside, a desperate thief.

"Yo," The boy raised a hand, greeting the thug casually.

"Tgh… Bastard!" The last robber growled.

There was nothing he could do to escape, not with that teleporter around, he was sure of that. His only choices were to give up or offer resistance.

He chose the latter.

"I'm going to kick your ass before being captured then, asshole!" The thug got out of the car as he shouted, heading towards the pointy-haired boy. He wasn't like the others; he got in many fights before and survived all of them, even winning some of them.

"Don't blame me then."

The thug's eyes shot open in shock as the boy in front of him launched himself with nearly unreal speed… speed that he didn't show before. He barely caught sight of the blow the pointy-haired was launching, as he swung his left arm to help twist his body as his right fist came up in a devastating uppercut.

The thug did not expect the fight to start so suddenly and desperately tried to block the blow by closing both his arms. He barely managed to block it but Kamijou simply twisted his fist, corkscrewing through his guard and the next thing he knew, there was a blinding pain as he was struck right in the chin.

(H-How?) He thought desperately through the pain. (How the hell did he do that?)

The blow snapped his head back painfully, sending him backwards in a stereotypical arc like in the movies.

And then, Kamijou's left fist swung down in a hammer blow right on his stomach, the thug felt the impact hard, the strength of the attack forced bile to erupt from his mouth. As he felt the impact of the ground, something hard, probably the boy's knuckles, followed up with a punch to his face. This time he could feel his nose broken.

As the world started to fade, a not unwelcome feeling of unconsciousness began to settle on him.

And then there was nothing but blissful darkness.

"Ara-ara…" Kamijou rested his hands in his pockets, his shoulders relaxing. "I'm hungry…"

**Part 7**

"Today is the day, gentlemen."

A man in his late fifties spoke through a radio as he observed the sight before him. The old man stood at the top of a large building located in District 7.

"Begin operation '**Chaos Game**'."

**Part 8**

Anti-Skill had just arrived; some vans were stationed near the place of the incident with several of its agents checking out the area, one of them being Yomikawa Aiho.

The woman conversed with her fellow members about the events of the incident while she kept an eye on her pointy-haired student, who was standing near Shirai Kuroko as they observed the... seven robbers taken into custody being 'escorted' to a van.

The last one was being loaded onto an ambulance to get treatment for his injuries, courtesy of Kamijou Touma's hard beating.

Meanwhile, Uiharu Kazari gave her report to **Konori Mii**, leader of her Judgment's branch.

"None of the civilians were injured, however, the last criminal tried to kidnap a girl that separated from a tour guide's group, I suspect he wanted use her as a hostage should he needed to secure his escape," Thermal Hand elaborated. "Shirai-san rescued her before the criminal even started his vehicle while Kamijou-san… handled him," Uiharu said as she motioned towards the ambulance.

The blue-haired girl with glasses nodded, arms crossed. "I see. Good work, Uiharu."

By the van of the captured delinquents, a certain pyro by the name** Okahara Ryouta**, walked to the vehicle as he was the last one in line. The boy who had defeated him stood near the van together with the teleporting esper.

Okahara stopped and looked at the boy.

"What did you do?" The pyro asked. "The fire should have burnt you but it just disappeared. You are an esper, I suppose."

Shirai glanced at her companion, who remained silent for several seconds before he sighed.

"I negated your ability," Kamijou answered.

Okahara widened his eyes before smiling, returning his gaze to the vehicle that held his six companions. He could now understand what happened despite remaining ignorant as to why the boy managed to remain unharmed.´

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 05

* * *

"Your skill was interesting though," A sudden compliment came from the Judgment boy, the girl at his side nodding in agreement. "I once met a level 2 pyro, so I can tell that you are a level higher because unlike him, you could control the direction of the attack or make it explode at will."

The delinquent chuckled. "Huh… yeah… I'm a level 3."

"As I suspected…" Shirai commented. "That sort of ability must have required dedication and discipline…So why did you end up like this? As I see it, you faced an obstacle during your training, so instead of trying harder to overcome it, you convinced yourself that this was your best and quit."

A shameful look took over Okahara's face as he had to accept that she was saying the truth.

"So when you got tired of sulking, you went astray and became a criminal," The harsh words that continued to leave the pig-tailed kid's mouth stabbed him in the heart. "Am I correct?"

No response came as the level 3 pyro dropped his gaze, unable to respond.

Shirai's partner spoke up, his expression serious. "People often call higher ranked espers like her 'monsters'," He pointed a thumb at the teleporter. "You also fear the power of the level 5s', but did you ever think about how they achieved that power?"

"Though that might be quite hard to believe for an underdog who gives up so easily, the level 5s' are where they are due to hard work and dedication," Shirai added as she turned around. "If you feel frustrated about losing, train harder and show us of what you're capable of," Having said her piece, Shirai Kuroko walked away.

Kamijou spoke again. "As far as I'm concerned, the real monsters are those who prey on the weak, like your partner over there," Kamijou directed his gaze towards the ambulance. "Did you know that he tried to take a small girl as a hostage? That's why you're in this police van while he's in the ambulance," His words made him feel quite guilty and Okahara looked at the ground in shame.

"You know, I'm a level 0," Okahara raised his gaze to a now grinning boy. "And that doesn't bother me in the slightest… Well except the extra lessons I have to take but nothing more beyond that."

"So how could a level 0 negate my attack?" He inquired.

"Can't really explain it but it happens, not a big deal for me really," The boy answered casually, surprising the pyro. "You have no idea of all the crap I had to go through my entire life, I could have just turned evil because the world was horrible to me but I guess that didn't happen," The teen paused briefly and glanced at the sunset. "Actually, I do what I do to make it better, so others don't have to go through the same things I had endured… And so can you. I want to make this world we all live in a better place, even if it's just little by little."

Okahara Ryouta was struck speechless by those words.

"You…" He began. "You're a strange lad, you know that?"

"So they say about me," The boy joked and held up his hand. "Anyone can change. Why don't you guys try to be the good guys next time?" Kamijou looked at the group inside the Anti-Skill van that to his surprise was attentive of what the boy was saying, before returning his gaze to the Pyro. "What do you say?"

Okahara turned to face the boy and glanced at both the handcuffs over his wrists and to the extended hand. "I can't shake your hand, remember?" The young teen laughed when the Fire-controller raised his arms to show him the handcuffs.

"Ah. I forgot about that."

Both chuckled before their attention was drawn by a nervous voice coming from the side of the vehicle, the voice belonged to the Anti-Skill agent **Tessou Tsuzuri**, a timid teacher and member of Yomikawa's squad.

"Ano…" Okahara raised an eyebrow at the nervous looking officer. "G-g-get in please! The d-d-driver is w-waiting…"

The pyro blinked, seriousness etched on his face and then walked to the van, stopping before entering it. "Change the world, huh? Maybe someday we'll fight together in the future then… As allies and partners for the same cause…"

With that, the fire esper went inside the vehicle and the door was closed. It should be mentioned that the smile a certain pointy-haired boy sported in that moment became wider.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Thank you so much!" Shirai blinked at the outburst of the almost-kidnapped girl's mother, a sincere smile of joy on her face as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Don't worry, miss. It's our job after all," Bowing respectfully, Shirai responded and turned to the Tour Guide. "I trust then that everything is in order?"

"Yes!" The tour guide replied in appreciation for her efforts. "How can we ever repay you?"

The pig tailed shook her head and leaned to the girl that hugged her mother, putting her index finger on her forehead playfully.

"It's not necessary. To see you safe and happy is reward enough; don't you think so, Kamijou-san?"

A teen who supported his body on a nearby railing nodded.

"Thank you, onee-chan!" The little girl ran to the startled teen. "And to you, onii-chan! You were so cool back there!"

The boy scratched his cheeks nervously at the unexpected attention.

"Haha…ha… It was nothing, don't worry…"

"I will marry onii-chan when I grow up!" The kid stated cheerfully.

"Eh?" Kamijou and every girl around him blinked. "Ehm... Grow up and become a fine lady then."

The girl's mother laughed, and one-second glares were sent to him, though he probably imagined it...

Shirai bowed to them again as both Judgment agents said their farewells. The tour guide returned with both mother and daughter to their respective group.

"I honestly thought that you were going to be a hindrance to the branch, Kamijou-san, but you did well today… partner," A compliment suddenly came from the pig-tailed girl, which was something the boy didn't expect at all. "I apologize for thinking badly of you at first."

He blinked, and began scratching his nose a bit in embarrassment.

"Geez… you know you are embarrassing me, don't you?"

"Maybe, but it's the truth," The girl stated with a firm tone.

"Kamijou Touma!"

A shout that came from behind of them caught their attention as Kongou, Misaka and Saten neared their position.

"You two were really amazing!" Saten remarked cheerfully.

"Well, I knew how capable Kuroko was but you; I didn't expect those moves at all. It seems that training is really paying off," Misaka put a hand to rest on her hip. "Guess everything went well in the end."

Uihari, followed by Konori, approached them, the latter looking not particularly happy much to Shirai's dismay.

"Shirai, Kamijou…" The chief of their branch crossed her arms and looked at them inquisitively for several seconds, during which both gulped and held their breath.

"Nicely done, you two!"

Both agents blinked first, then relaxed and eventually smiled gratefully.

"Indeed," Yomikawa appeared behind the group. "They say you did quite well and it looks like it's true. You make me proud, Kamijou-kun."

"Heh, thanks Yomikawa-sensei," The teen scratched his head this time.

"W-w-well..." Kongou began. "I suppose that you did g-good..."

"Complimenting me, Kongou? You set my heart aflutter," The boy teased.

"I did not compliment you!" Aero Hand shouted, earning an amused smile from him. "I o-only said... what I saw..."

Kamijou was startled, however, he grinned eventually, causing Kongou's cheeks to become red of... fury...?

As the boy continued his tease, Yomikawa sported a little smile, yet in her mind, she had a huge grin because this was what she had in mind when she first told him to join Judgment. To help people while others assisted you, to protect the weak alongside their partners and friends, to sometimes rely on others to succeed.

Yomikawa Aiho truly hoped that her dear student would understand that if he had yet to do so.

"In the end we all helped so…" The boy looked up to the orange sky. "It doesn't really matter who did it or who did the most, because if everyone is safe and sound, then it's fine… Right guys?"

None spoke as they were simply marveled by the boy's odd reasoning; they only smiled and nodded at his words.

Everyone then heard the sound of a phone ringing and it turned out to be Kamijou's cell.

"Hmm?" Kamijou took out the tiny device and opened it, his eyebrows rising as if he was annoyed by the name of the caller. He eventually answered, still looking hesitant. "Hello?"

"Kamijou Touma," The voice of a girl spoke over the communication device. "Your first trial begins now."

The rookie of the branch 177 of Judgment widened his eyes, earning a confused look from the ones around him. His gaze turned sharp as he breathed deeply and muttered under his breath.

"God damn it…"

**Part 9**

**Kamijou Touma**, misfortune magnet and newest agent of the disciplinary committee waited a few moments before lowering his cell, a feeling of dread welling up within him.

The group of only females crowded around him as they waited for him to explain his odd reaction to the sudden call, Kamijou lowered the small device before finally speaking.

"Excuse me everyone, I need to attend to this."

With that, Kamijou walked away, not noticing the mixed reactions of the girls now left behind him. It was something that somewhat worried them. Yomikawa's phone also began to ring as the boy left.

"Who could it be to make him want to speak in private?"

"Beats me, it's not our business anyway," Shirai responded, showing little interest in Uiharu's doubt.

"Maybe…" Saten began and everyone looked at her. "Maybe it was Kamijou-kun's girlfriend," The level 0 commented jokingly to lighten up the mood.

Suffice to say, if the mood was gloomy before, there was now a thunderstorm above their heads.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Tsukino, explain yourself."

The boy said to his trainer, Tsukino Yui, an elite inside the Anti-Skill ranks, her tone suggested that she would be the bringer of bad news.

"Can't you hear, Kamijou? The sirens and the ruckus in Academy City?"

Kamijou lowered his phone and closed his eyes.

Sounds came within his earshot as he focused. Sirens, people yelling, the clashing of metal and gun shots came from every direction. It seemed that there was trouble going in this district and in others nearby as far as he could tell, and the fact that he managed to hear them only meant trouble.

Something really bad was happening or about to happen.

The boy brought the device to his ear again. "What's happening, Tsukino?" The boy looked at the sky; smoke drifted into sight from somewhere, probably another district. "Say it already!"

"…As we talk, multiple riots are happening at almost every school in the city."

"Riots? What do you mean?" Kamijou pressed on.

A few seconds passed before the white-haired officer answered.

"I don't know the details yet, but it seems that the students are taking over the schools using their numbers, the teachers can't do a thing to stop them," The girl with golden eyes elaborated. "I can't be sure yet, but I suspect someone is moving the strings behind these revolts, using the students to create chaos..."

"Wait a second! How could something like this happen out of nowhere?"

This was a rare situation, why would all schools riot at the same time? Why would the students riot in the first place? Why go so far as to take over the educational facilities? It all seemed absurd but it was happening, as if the students had agreed to start a revolution at the same time to put Academy City into **Chaos**.

"If I knew about it, I would have prevented it before it could occur," Tsukino frowned. "Stop asking me meaningless questions and speak to Aiho, she must already have been informed about this, so she will know what to do."

"But my branch members are probably going to help, so I have to stay with them."

"Well, I heard all Judgment's branches are going to be gathered, so I'm sure your friends will have more than enough support for themselves if they are deployed to handle these revolts," Tsukino explained in a dismissive tone. "Besides, I think it should be better if you stayed close to Aiho. I heard there is a ninja after her."

The boy sighed. "A ninja is after Yomikawa? Why am I not surprised?" So many extraordinary things were happening today that the news of a ninja being after Yomikawa seemed quite normal.

"Fine…" The boy ended the call and breathed deeply.

Kamijou walked back to the group with a serious expression, the Anti-Skill vans were already leaving, Yomikawa ran towards him as he came into sight.

"Kamijou-kun!" She called out. "Something terrible is happenin-"

"I know, Tsukino just told me."

The younger females approached with anxiety painted on their faces, Kamijou frowned, realizing that it was worse than he had imagined.

"I have already contacted the higher ups," Yomikawa said, her eyes sharp. "Every Anti-Skill operative is being dispatched to control the chaos in the districts 5, 9, 12, 18, 20 and this one."

"Is it happening in our schools?" Kamijou inquired.

The woman looked thoughtful but shook her head. "I spoke to Komoe, nothing is happening in yours, so don't worry about it. School Garden is also fine but the rest, I'm not sure."

"I see… so every district that contains schools is having these revolts…" Konori pointed out, adjusting her glasses. "I already have been informed that all available Judgement squads will be sent out to give support."

Uiharu stepped forward, fear visible in her posture, yet her face showed nothing but determination.

"What about the Judgment members still in the schools?" Was the rather important question asked by her, one that needed to be addressed. "They're not rioting, are they?"

"From what I know, only the students that remained on their respective schools are creating mayhem. If there were Judgment members among any of them, I can only assume that they were either taken down by the rioters or that they are a part of them."

"We won't know until we actually see one of them," Misaka commented. "We can't waste any more time!" She added rather aggressively.

"Well, wait just a moment onee-sama!" Shirai exclaimed loudly, making her roommate flinch. "Didn't I just tell you that this is our job?"

Misaka pouted, playing with her fingers, an act that made Shirai's face become red as a cherry, due to the fact that weaponized cuteness was coming from the girl she deeply admired.

"I just want to help…" Kamijou raised an eyebrow at Biri Biri's obvious to all fake act. "Can't I?" She unleashed a potent pair of puppy dog eyes at Shirai for extra effect.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-well…" Shirai stammered uncontrollably, it was just too much for her to resist, too much cuteness for her to endure.

"We are still losing time here!" Kongou said exasperatedly. "As citizens of the city, it also falls on us to protect the city! And we have abilities that can actually help us do it."

"Are you forgetting that not everyone is a skill user," Remarked Saten, annoyed of the implication about the sentence. "It's not like we all can do something…"

Kamijou raised an eyebrow at the bitterness of her voice; it was if there was some sort of restrained anger hid in her tone. His musings stopped when a 'pip' sound caught his attention. It came from Konori's cell phone.

"Umm…?" She picked it from her pocket and answered. "Yes?" A few moments passed. "Understood, we're on our way."

"It seems that the squads of MAR and other organizations will also be dispatched to give support and secure control of every rioting school." She explained. "Shirai, Uiharu, Kamijou, we have work to d-"

"Taichou!" A man in a police suit approached the older person in the group. "Your equipment is ready. We are waiting for your orders."

Yomikawa nodded and turned to the teens. "I'll be off then, be careful if any of you are going in the hot zones," She turned to the only boy between them. "Kamijou-kun, come with me."

The boy would have actually preferred to stay with them, to watch out for the girls he befriended, but Yomikawa and Tsukino also needed him. Besides, Railgun was with them. The boy nodded.

"Where are you taking him, Yomikawa-san?" Konori inquired.

The woman smiled, crossing her arms over her voluptuous chest. Honestly, that expression always gave Kamijou an odd feeling. Well, these days it just seemed that everything with the woman gave him that sort of vibe, not to mention her usual teasing.

"To his trainer," Yomikawa replied, now aware of the instructions Tsukino had sent her some minutes ago to her cell. "She said she needed his assistance."

"Wow! An elite of Anti-Skill is asking for Kamijou-san's help!" Uiharu said impressed with starry eyes.

Konori was doubtful, and so were Misaka and Kongou. What could he do that an elite required his assistance? The most likely possibility was that it had to do with his training.

"Let's go," Yomikawa turned to her squad. "We're heading to District 18."

"Understood," Most of them responded, adjusting their helmets.

Kamijou nodded and spoke. "Well, I'm going. You all be careful now okay?" He stared at Misaka, causing her blink. "I know that you are going to step in no matter what, but…" Kamijou paused for a moment. "…even if you are a level 5, it doesn't mean that you are invincible, so please be aware of that."

That startled the Ace of Tokiwadai, the boy showed true concern for her, which gave the electric esper an odd feeling in her chest. Was the boy in front of her a good person that cared for everyone? Or was there some hidden intention behind his words?

Whatever it was, Misaka Mikoto shook her head to regain her composure as this was no time to be thinking about such matters.

"I'll be careful; in fact I should be saying that to you."

"Yes, Kamijou-san, I don't know what are we going to face, but let's all do our best!" Uiharu raised her hands to her chest, fists barely touching her chin.

Kamijou Touma smirked and then left the group.

The girls watched him go and then…

"School Garden is not being affected by these riots thankfully, so I think we can focus on the rest of the schools in this district. Are you two are going help no matter what we say, I assume?"

"Do you need to ask?" Sparks moved through the Railgun's body.

"I said it before, as a citizen I will do everything I can to end this chaos," Kongou pointed her green fan to the chief of the 177 branch.

"Then you will be coming with us," Shirai spoke up after sighing, finally accepting that her beloved friend would get involved in the current affairs, so she chose to have the shocker by her side to keep a… close… eye on her. "Uiharu, head to the office. We'll need you on the computers."

"What about Saten-san?" Thermal Hand turned around to her- "Eh? Saten-san?" She looked around but her best friend was nowhere to be seen. "Saten-san!?"

Her phone made a sound, the signal of a test message. Uiharu retrieved her mobile phone and opened it, the screen indeed showed that a message had been received, the sender: Saten Ruiko.

**You guys are going to get really busy so I'll just go home, I don't want to slow you guys or anything. I hope things return back to normal so all the best you guys!**

"Who is it?" Inquired Misaka.

"Um… It's Saten-san. She said she was going home…"

The flower-headed girl refrained from saying that Saten thought she would be a hindrance, and it bothered her. There was no way any of them would think of her like that way as they all valued her beyond those sort of things.

"Anyways! Let's move, the other branches are gathering so let's go meet up with them before anything else happens," Konori ordered.

And so the group moved, unaware of the cloaked figure that observed them from afar.

**Between the Lines 3**

It was irritating. Most days were and nothing changed.

Yet, with the entire ruckus going around, a certain albino boy could say that this day was still irritating. Yes… it indeed was, and it probably would continue to be.

"Tch…" The boy with white hair and red eyes hardened his gaze at the line of black vans blocking the street in front of him. Various yells came from the area around him, and it did not improve his mood… Actually, it worsened it.

Closing his eyes, the skinny boy that wore a black shirt with white stripes and dark-grey pants yawned as he continued to walk towards his intended destination, his apartment.

Upon reaching the vehicles blocking his way, the albino boy stomped the floor beneath him and suddenly, every object, including the vans, were sent flying away, the ground cracking. With that, the path was clear, so the boy resumed his travel across an empty street in AC.

Something was odd about the lack of people in the streets at this hour; however, it was much better that way, at least for the boy that was considered the **Strongest** in Academy City. People tended to be pretty stupid and lame, and he was tired of seeing those sort of individuals, even more so when gangs came to face him with the idea of taking him down to get reputation or some other nonsense like that.

People often talked about the strongest esper in Academy City, how powerful he was and the like, though one thing was often mentioned in the rumors behind the esper in question, people often said that he was a fearsome individual that would kill without any hesitation, nor have any regret.

The Strongest could disagree with it, but not entirely, because part of those rumors were true, he did kill after all, more since he accepted to take part of a certain project, so yes, he killed, not only to show that he was indeed the strongest, but show everyone that he was to be feared and not to be messed with.

Of course, there were always those that ignored that fact and were stupid enough to challenge him. The strongest rarely let them escape with their lives, of course, only after kicking their asses savagely for even attempting to think that they could defeat him.

Not even all those massacres he committed in the past were enough to make them fully understand that the Strongest was on a level they would never reach.

That is why the Level 5 esper known as** Accelerator** was participating in a project that would most likely fulfill his goal, which was to go beyond his current status and become a Level 6 as the most advanced supercomputer in Academy City, **Tree Diagram**, had determined.

The number one of the seven level 5 espers in the city of science was known and called after his ability, Accelerator, which allowed him to manipulate vectors (magnitude or direction) and influence objects that had them, such as bullets, heat, electricity, etc.

Due to the nature of this ability, to make it work properly, it needed a great amount of calculating power as it required for him to take into account the vectors he wanted to redirect when his powers were activated, not to mention the several variables that would become present when manipulating them.

It was unnecessary to say that Accelerator possessed a high-level intellect, the complex calculations he made to manipulate vectors showed that. Together with his phenomenal memory, Accelerator was without doubt a more than capable strategist.

A passive application of his power was **Redirection**, which reversed any oncoming vector headed towards his direction. This occurred due to the field that protected his body, his **AIM dispersion field**, it was also capable of covering his clothes or any object he held. Even while unconscious, this ability could be triggered with simple calculations of the minimum required forces like gravity, air pressure, light, oxygen, heat, sound wavelength, etc, to redirect everything that came into contact with his barrier.

For defensive purposes, Accelerator subconsciously established a filter that analysed everything as harmful or not, and by doing this, he reflected anything harmful. It could be said that Redirection protected the level 5 from any kind of attack, whether it was bullets, electricity, radiation and even nuclear bombs.

He was nigh invincible, yet his goal was to become even stronger than that.

However, that was not a matter of importance at the moment as Accelerator simply wanted to hit the sack for today, yet he knew that with the sudden commotions occurring around him for 'who the fuck knows why', it was probably going to take more time than he had anticipated.

"Damn… What the fuck is happening?" He commented to himself, glancing at the smoke coming from a building some blocks ahead. "What a pain…"

Accelerator narrowed his gaze after staring blankly at the orange sky, sirens echoing in the distance and the continuous crash of glass destroying any silence that the lack of people around brought to his surroundings.

The white-haired esper ignored it for the sake of his boredom and headed towards his destination.

**Part 10**

**District 18**, at the entrance of the** Kaisei High School**, squads of Anti-Skill congregated around the area, establishing a perimeter in order to avoid any criminal from escaping, and to keep in check any movement from the students that had taken over the institution.

"Report!" Yomikawa Aiho approached the gathered officers by the entrance, followed by her squad and a rookie member of the disciplinary committee.

"Yes, sir!" The nearest officer nodded, removing the helmet he was wearing. "We have the area surrounded, and the entrance to the building is blocked, though unfortunately, not by us," The man raised a hand and pointed a finger at a large line of chairs, desks and other furniture piled up as a barrier.

Yomikawa, Tsukino, with the boy at their side shortly after, observed the banners that extended across the group of rioters, which displayed some words. The kanji were as followed.

**Purify the City.**

"Purify the CIty?" Kamijou frowned. "What does that mean?"

Yomikawa shrugged her shoulders as several operatives took different positions as the main doors opened, revealing more students, all of them wielding metal bats with the exception of a dark brown-haired girl with a ponytail who carried a couple of sharp katanas.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Picture 03

* * *

The student group moved out of the facilities and dispersed across the field, remaining behind the blockade of school furniture. Three of them stepped forward. Kamijou Touma darkened his gaze, sharp eyes scanning the revolting group, while Tsukino and Yomikawa remained impassive at them.

A boy with orange spiky-hair who wore his summer school uniform, bent down, a bat resting on his shoulder with a confident smirk as he observed the gathered law enforcer units. At his side stood the girl with two katanas, her expression stoic, and finally, a boy that truly looked the part of a school delinquent, a white piece of fabric was wrapped around his head, he didn't wear a shirt but had a blazer over his shoulders.

The third student took a megaphone and spoke with strong conviction.

"It's about time, eh!? But you guys are still a bunch of useless, boot-lickers!" The boy raised his arm in excitement, the adrenaline level in his body rising by the minute. "We will change Academy City and purify it from the filthy trash pile you have made of it!"

A certain boy raised an eyebrow at that, wondering to what they were referring to. Kamijou came up with some assumptions of what they meant, like the animosity of level 0s towards high level espers, the punishments given to them due to failing the power curriculum program, the rising number of delinquents within the city, etc.

Even if he was in the most advanced city in the world, with technology 30 years ahead of the world, trouble would always emerge in any kind of society due to the different points of view in their citizens, such as the difference in esper levels in the city and those that couldn't even develop abilities.

In the end, there would never be a place that would be free of internal issues, and the city of science was no exception.

After the roars and cheers that came from the revolting students, the rioter spoke again.

"The Board of Directors is corrupted; the authorities that follow them and fulfil their will are tainted too. We can't trust them, the city can't trust them! And so the responsibility of stopping the madness that has covered our beloved city falls to us. That's why we demand for the ruler of our sovereign city-state to dissolve the Board of Directors!"

_(Ok, for a guy that looks like THE delinquent, he sure can make a speech unlike the usual trolls.)_

"Dissolve the Board of Directors? Are they insane?" Yomikawa muttered under her breath, taking her position among the other members of her squad.

"Of course they are!" The voice of a certain white-haired girl came from their side; golden eyes met the blue ones of the busty member of Anti-Skill. "But I guess it can't be helped."

Tsukino Yui smiled at both Yomikawa and her squad, as if nothing serious was occurring. The girl always had that carefree attitude that unnerved Yomikawa somewhat, and now not even this alarming situation made the girl act according to the circumstances.

"What's so special about this school? My team should be handling the revolts in District 20," Yomikawa said in mild annoyance, her lips snarling. "You must have been informed that the violence is escalating with each confrontation that happens with the rioters in that district."

Tsukino tilted her head, dismissing her words much to the woman's irritation, and stared at the boy standing by Yomikawa's side. Said boy looked tense for obvious reasons.

"Kamijou-kun, what's with that face?" Tsukino closed the distance between them. "Don't tell me that you're worried. It's a matter of time before we retake control of the city… So change that dumb look, would you?"

The boy stared at her in silence before directing his attention to the group of troublesome students, his eyes narrowing. "Tsukino, what do you have in mind by bringing me here? Shouldn't I be helping my branch, too?"

Tsukino pouted, not only the woman was questioning her but her trainee was as well, and the latter really bothered her.

"First, I only needed Aiho to bring you here as I knew you would have preferred to stay with your friends rather than coming to this district, but you seem to trust this insufferable woman for some reason," After ignoring the glare of said busty woman, Tsukino continued, "I suspected that if she told you to come, you would consider it and then finally do it."

"So you are basically saying that you used me to get Kamijou to do what you wanted," The woman said, or in this case explained, the boy frowned at that.

_(A Ninja after her... right...)_

"When you put it like that…Yeah, I did," Was the simple answer Tsukino gave.

Kamijou felt a chill run down his spine upon… 'sensing' the aggressive aura that his teacher was exuding, just like the time with **Inoue**, Tsukino's secretary.

Woman and girl glared at each other for a short period of time, yet it seemed unnaturally long for the boy and some of the unfortunate Anti-Skill members that stood near them.

If the boy was to describe their vibe, it felt as if a tiger and a dragon were about to clash into a violent battle, yet to Kamijou's befuddlement, both females smirked at each other as if understanding some events only they knew about.

Something came to his mind at this odd development. The boy read some books that talked about one of the **Five arts of Chinese Metaphysics**:** Feng Shui**, also classified as **Physiognomy**, which was the observation of appearances through formulas and calculations.

One of its main foundation theories talked about polarity. In **Feng Shui** was expressed with the** Ying and Yang** (The Duality Theory), which described about how opposite or contrary forces actually complemented each other.

In astrology, the **White Tiger** and the **Green Dragon** were celestial spirits that were fairly opposite in character, yet they made a well-rounded whole when they came together, while in various martial arts and disciplines, these two beings symbolized the long standing rivalry and conflict between two forces that strove to reach a perfect balance.

This is how Kamijou saw both members of Anti-Skill, Tsukino as the Dragon, the being that held imperious power, and Yomikawa as the Tiger, the being that sought to take away the dragon's power in order to restore and maintain the balance of the Ying and Yang energies.

In the city of science such concepts were seen as irrational and senseless, but nevertheless it was some interesting stuff that Kamijou found in several books he bought in a bookstore that had them on sale.

Of course, Kamijou just found this interesting but didn't believe any of it. He just happened to have enough money to buy these books at the time instead of the usual manga. The similarities were just too convenient, the boy concluded.

"So what are you planning?" Yomikawa finally spoke.

Tsukino Yui's smile widened at the question but instead of replying, she turned to the expectant teen, all while the shouts of the delinquents continued.

"I want Kamijou to take care of the riot of this school by himself… As in, alone…"

Yomikawa and the boy blinked in confusion, it took a while for both to register her words. The dumbfounded Kamijou could only say…

"Wut?"

**Part 11**

A girl stood in the middle of a field, various students of both genders laid on the ground unconscious thanks to the shocks they received from the Ace of Tokiwadai.

The Ace sighed as some Judgments members approached her.

"Good work, Misaka-sama," A short girl said, happy to work alongside one of the most powerful espers in the city, Misaka Mikoto no less. "With this, all the rioting students have been subdued in this school and the artifacts destroyed."

A tall boy with short brown hair grinned. "This was easy enough… Let's move out to another school then, the others need our help."

Misaka Mikoto huffed; the Judgment branch she accompanied only watched as she electrocuted all the rioters and took the school back by herself without any help. It only took her 10 minutes to accomplish it, which she actually expected as most of the students were level 0.

The Ace looked up to the nearing night sky with worried eyes.

"I wonder how the rest are doing…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

Metal needles impaled the clothes of three rioters on the ground, holding them in place, 5 more wielding baseball bats came to aid their companions but found an obstacle on their way.

Shirai Kuroko stood before them, confidence on her face as she now walked across the hallway. Soon, Awatsuki Maaya and other Judgment members appeared behind her.

"More Judgment?" A rioter girl said in fear. "At this rate-"

"At this rate you shall all be put into custody," Shirai interjected, retrieving some handcuffs from her skirt pocket. "I don't know what made you start this senseless riot, talking about purifying the city or whatever, but this ends now."

"It's not going to be that eas-!"

To the rioters shock, their bats began to float away, out of their grasp, before falling behind the Judgment group. With no weapons, their only chance of resisting was gone.

"Espers…" One of them muttered with restrained rage.

The paranormal event that the revolting students witnessed was none other than Awatsuki's esper ability… **Float Dial**.

With it, Awatsuki could manipulate the buoyancy of herself and her surroundings, and as a level 3, she could lift heavy objects, walk on water without breaking its surface tension, and even leap high into the air.

"Good work, Awatsuki," Shirai nodded to her companion and directed her gaze back to the delinquents. "You have caused enough trouble already so please surrender, it's not like you have a chance to do anything."

With electroshock weapons, or more exactly, Tasers, the Judgments group advanced, and right then and there the rioters knew they were screwed.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Konori Mii was not happy, in fact she was furious, not because of the rioters or the futile resistance they were putting up, but because of the behavior of another member of her branch and close friend, **Yanagisako Aomi**.

Not only was she the reason why Konori wasn't with her branch, she also was the cause of her current anger.

"Pull yourself together, Aomi!" Konori shouted in exasperation at her roommate and classmate, grabbing her shoulders. "You just can't let this distract you from our objectives. If he chose to riot, he must have had his reasons, and we will uncover them but please, this is not the time for this!"

The girl with long brown hair and matching eyes gave no reply as she was too deep in his shock. To find out that one of the rioters was her boyfriend, it tore her heart apart. Yanagisako just couldn't handle the fact that her boyfriend was a delinquent, and the fact that he tried to hurt her for siding with Judgment.

It was absurd, because as a member of the 177 Branch of Judgment, it was her duty to stop the riots erupting across the city. Even if Yanagisako was not an active member, in these circumstances she just couldn't turn a blind eye.

Yet, she felt useless, weak as her body didn't respond. All she could do was to remain sitting on the ground as tears trailed down her cheeks. The boy she gave her love to betrayed her, if it wasn't for her close friend, Konori, the bastard would have probably injured her severely… For all Yanagisako knew, she could have been killed.

Konori sighed as Yanagisako remained there, silent. The clairvoyance user never imagined that her classmate would be that sensitive to such matters; it was as if she truly loved that boy, and it pissed her that something like this occurred to her close friend.

"Konori-san," A man wearing the Anti-Skill uniform addressed her. "Your companion seems to be in shock. I suggest you take her to the hospital. We'll handle the rest."

Konori heaved a sigh before finally nodding.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Yes. There are six students in classroom B-3. Two of them are using baseball bats so please be careful when you head inside," Uiharu Kazari spoke to the microphone attached to her headpiece. "They seem to be waiting to ambush you, so I suggest you use the second door located by the corner, it's not guarded."

The skilled hacker, together with several members of other Judgment branches, were supporting the law enforcer squads via communication devices, using advanced computers and their access to security systems to give accurate intel in order to retake every school in Academy City without suffering casualties.

"There are several hostages tied inside the cafeteria, only three rioters are guarding them," Another girl spoke as she scrutinized the camera system of another school. "Head to the back corridor, its empty and it should give you a chance on capturing the criminals before they try to use any hostage as a human shield."

Uiharu never found herself so focused on a task before, but it wasn't surprising really, after all, people depended on her and the others inside Judgment's main base to provide information and secure the safety of every agent on the field.

Several schools had already been retaken but many still remained, and Uiharu would not allow herself to rest until the riots were completely controlled.

**Between the Lines 4**

"Chaos Game is going as planned," A voice resounded in a dark room, a desk and a chair were the only furniture in it. A laptop rested on the surface on the desk and the dim light the screen emitted gave the person who sat on the chair a sinister look. "However, Alpha and Omega had failed to capture our target."

Several seconds passed as orange eyes darted from file to file displayed on the laptop's screen as he received his next instructions over the phone.

"That certainly would do it," The man let a soft chuckle escape his lips. "We'll use him to weaken the target then?" More seconds passed. "Understood, I'll send Beta and Gamma to his location, and Sigma to lead the target to him," The laptop showed a certain profile. "The number one will have no problems dealing with the target."

A dark smirk covered the man's face in that moment.

"Then let's continue with the Operation: Capture the level 5 gemstone, Sogiita Gunha."

**Part 12**

Even if Kongou Mitsuko said that she was going to assist Judgment during the riots of the schools, she currently found herself standing in front of Uiharu's dorm. With the doorbell already pressed, Aero Hand waited for the door to be opened.

_(Why do I must be here...? I should be helping!)_

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 06

* * *

The sounds of quick steps were heard, and then, the entrance door was opened, revealing a silver-haired nun behind it. The foreigner sported an angry expression that without a doubt was no good news to the Tokiwadai esper.

"Mitsuko?" The nun changed her aggressive posture upon seeing the girl clearly. "What are you doing here? Where are Kazari and Ruiko?"

Index, the nun, was hungry, and the girls that took care of her promised her that they would bring glorious food to her table; however, they had yet to appear with it. The nun observed the girl with a big forehead and she did not carry any bags, meaning that she was not sent by her caretakers. The question was now… What was the reason for her visit?

"I see you are fine, Index-san," Kongou ignored the questions and entered the dorm, removing her shoes as she did. "Uiharu was worried about you so I came to see if you were alright."

"I'm not!" Index barked furiously. "I'm hungry so where is the food!? If Kazari sent you to check on me, she must have told you to bring food!"

"Are you watching the TV news?" Kongou retorted in exasperation due to the nun's piercing shout. "Almost all stores are closed, I couldn't buy you anything."

Index pouted, she knew that Kongou was lying. How could be that all stores in the district, or in the city, were closed at this hour? It didn't make any sense.

"You forgot, didn't you?" An accusing finger pointed towards the wind manipulator. "We are going out right now to get some food! I'm starving to dead!"

"What? It's dangerous outside right now, you must remain here," Kongou advised her but it was to no avail.

"I don't care, I have more possibilities of dying right here than outside. And you haven't explained why is so dangerous to g-"

"Well! If you'd let me talk for once!" Kongou's lips snarled in irritation, her fists clenched. "If you desire so much to eat something, let's go out and you'll see for yourself then!"

In mere seconds, Kongou put back her shoes and pulled Index's hand. "W-wait! What about my shoes?" Index spat.

"THEN HURRY UP!"

**Part 13**

He breathed deeply, his lungs inhaling oxygen and then exhaling the waste gases useless to the human body. A minute, he stayed like this for an entire minute as he contemplated what he was about to do. This was not going to be easy, on the contrary, there was the chance that he would get badly injured or worse if things went wrong, but it was his trial.

It was the only way he could show to his trainer that he was not a disappointment, that he was not weak, that he was determined to become stronger for those he cared for.

Kamijou Touma breathed deeply one more time and finally opened both eyes, sharp focused eyes…

"Well, it's not like I'm going to face the strongest esper in Academy City, so this shouldn't be that hard…" Kamijou commented playfully and stood up.

"What were you doing knelt in that corner and talking to yourself, Kamijou-kun?" Tsukino deadpanned.

"Just getting ready…" With a carefree attitude, he replied as he readjusted the earpiece on his… ear, walking to a wall that according to Uiharu, lead to the field grounds behind the facility.

Kamijou examined the solid surface, it was 3 meters tall and it covered the field's perimeter inside the school. There was no way he could try to go from the front, so he concluded that sneaking in from the back was the best option.

"Uiharu, how big is the field inside the school? Are there any trees or anything else that I can use to cover my presence?"

"Hm… Let me see…" Uiharu spoke through her microphone, typing on her keyboard with amazing speed as she gained access to the schematics of the Kaisei High School and total vision of its surveillance cameras. "There are a bunch of trees near the walls inside so it should give you a way to get down, too."

"Ok, that's something," The boy turned to both females behind him. "I suppose we'll see each other when I finish taking care of this… If not, well… Let's not think about that now shall we? Hehehe…"

Yomikawa and Tsukino stared at him in silence, arms folded as neither of them reacted to his sudden display of black comedy… In fact, it seemed to have bothered them, even Tsukino.

"I don't want you to do this, Touma. You don't have to prove anything…" Yomikawa said suddenly, as if pleading. "This is not what I had in mind when I told you to join Judgment."

Tsukino was quite surprised, she never saw that annoying woman act like this, and it was weird to her. However, a chance to prove the boy's capabilities presented itself before them; she had to see if Kamijou Touma's will was strong.

She had to see once and for all if the boy she trained was what he seemed like.

"He can choose to not intervene, but if he does so, I'm done with him…"

"You can't just make him d-"

"Trust me Yomikawa, she isn't making me do anything…" The boy spoke up, taking a few steps away from the wall. "If this is part of the training, I'll just do it…" Kamijou turned to his sensei. "Do you still remember Yomikawa? What I said to you that morning?"

Yomikawa was startled by his words, her brain recalling that morning. Despite having a bad sleep, despite feeling tired, the boy was determined to keep going to the hard training. It didn't matter that his body ached from the beatings Tsukino gave him, he was determined to see it through.

That morning she came to pick him up, his tired eyes locked on her. Tired yes, but also full of willpower. Yomikawa still remembered his words and the emotion in them.

**Whether I'm tired or not, it won't change the fact that I'm doing this. You said you trusted me, so I'm going to see this through no matter what. I won't be the disappointment Tsukino already thinks I am.**

That same gaze was directed at her right now, one that made her heart beat so fast that she felt it was going to explode, the eyes that seemed to pierce through her very soul.

The eyes of the bo- nay, the man she was beginning to fall for…

"I will do this, not because of Tsukino or the training, but for those that had been taken as hostages by these delinquents. If I have to do it by myself, then so be it."

Tsukino smiled while Yomikawa averted her gaze from him as there was nothing else she could say…

"We will remain around the school's perimeter, so go get them, and…" Tsukino retrieved from her pocket a tiny device, extending it to him. "It's always dangerous to go alone, so take this…"

_(I swear I heard those words somewhere else... it was from a game...)_

Kamijou observed the object; it looked like a blue stun gun.

"I already have one."

"Nope, this stun gun was created with nanotechnology, it doesn't need a battery to function as it recharges with AIM," Tsukino elaborated. "With it, you'll be able to incapacitate countless people as long as you are inside this city."

"I see… thanks," Kamijou pocketed the device and turned to the wall. "See you at the entrance."

With that, Kamijou sprinted at the wall, and upon reaching it, he put one foot on it and then the other in rapid succession as he found himself running up the vertical surface, before propelling his body up as he extended his arms to grab the edge of the solid wall.

With one last effort, Kamijou climbed it. He sat on the edge and glanced at the women observing him, before giving a thumbs up to the surprised spectators before jumping to the nearest tree.

Yomikawa gaped at such display of prowess, Tsukino on the other hand, nodded in approval, feeling proud of her trainee.

"He trusts you, Aiho, so why don't you trust him, too?"

Yomikawa grabbed her left arm in worry and said nothing.

**Part 14**

District 7, by a certain empty area near an **Iron Railway Bridge**, two individuals were in front of the other with several other persons lying across the area with broken limbs and serious injuries on their bodies.

A certain boy spitted blood as he stood on his feet. No matter what he tried, he couldn't hit his opponent. It was like he had some sort of invisible barrier deflecting every attack he tried to land on him.

"Heheh… You do have a lot of guts…"

**Sogiita Gunha**, **Number Seven** of the level 5 espers of Academy City, chuckled, his modified white uniform with a **Rising Sun** shirt stained with his own blood. Even the white headband was covered in red as well as the white jacket he wore over his shoulders as some sort of cape.

Despite being injured, the black-haired boy was grinning in excitement.

"Are you done?" The boy before Soggita taunted, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "You are showing me some interesting things today, so is there more to it?"

Sogiita crashed a fist on his palm, creating a soft shockwave.

"I'm just getting started!" The Number 7 stated confidently, eyes locked on his opponent, the strongest esper of Academy City… Accelerator.

"Ghahahahaha!" Accelerator laughed hysterically. "I think I can play some more!"

Sogiita took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he stomped firmly on the ground, taking a karate-like stance as he prepared himself.

The scientists had failed to understand his power, even the most prestigious ones failed to explain it, and to be honestly, Soggita himself didn't really understand it, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it.

Enhanced coordinating skills, voice amplification, enhanced strength, enhanced durability, resistance and even tolerance to pain were some of the skills he possessed, yet no one could explain why, and it wasn't as if going through his origins helped the researchers uncover the truth behind his abilities either.

The reason was simple; Sogiita Gunha was a **Gemstone**, an esper that attained his abilities without any artificial method, such as AC's Power Curriculum Program. This particular type of esper emitted larger amounts of AIM from their body, and they were considered prized possessions as many organizations believed that the key for creating and developing their own physic power development institutions resided in Gemstones.

"I don't need to know the reasons on why you injured these people, but as I told you before, harming people without guts is wrong! That, I can't allow!"

Accelerator shook his head in irritation. That asshole only talked a bunch of crap and it was irking him. How many minutes had passed since he was intercepted by a group of armed bags of shit, attacking him out of nowhere? To only have this weirdo appear while he kicked their sorry ass for even attempting to try to touch him.

To make things worse, Accelerator found himself being the target of these senseless accusations. It was true that he broke their arms, and to those less fortunate, their legs for their insolence, but he didn't kill them, though he probably may have done so if that noisy bastard hadn't intervened.

In any case, what was it to him? It was not any of his fucking business, yet he attacked him with some odd, but honestly, interesting abilities. At least he didn't feel that bored now.

"Whatever…" Accelerator said under his breath and without further notice, charged forward to his opponent, the pavement where he stood exploding.

The distance between them was brought to zero, despite being 20 meters away from each other. However, the boy with white clothing reacted instantly.

Sogiita jumped to avoid his attack, the air pressure becoming so strong from where he leaped that made his opponent stop as he realized that something was wrong.

"What the…?" Accelerator was shocked when he noticed he couldn't breathe. "The air pressure…" He gave one step back, yet the distance it covered was about 10 meters, getting out of the airless zone. "Not bad… trying to leave me without oxygen to weaken me, huh…"

The Number 7 landed some meters away, and focused again.

"Really? When did I do that…?" Sogiita said dumbly. "Anyway, I think I haven't asked you this but… who are you? I don't encounter such strong adversaries on a daily basis."

"Who am I?" The albino boy said with amusement. "That's an interesting question…" Accelerator gave two steps to the side, hands inside his pockets. "I am the one that stands at the top of all the level 5s, the strongest in this messed up city."

Sogiita blinked in surprise, dumbfounded. Now it made sense, he was fighting an esper with the same level, the strongest in fact. He heard many stories about him, but only recalled the many atrocities attributed to him, it seemed they were true after all.

"So… you are Accelerator…"

Blue eyes met red ones again, killing intent emanated from the deep gaze of his dangerous opponent, yet Sogiita was not intimidated by it.

A thin and wide smile emerged on the strongest's face, crazed eyes looking at Sogiita with feral joy. His expression was so twisted that it made the Number 7 wonder, were the many of the more outlandish rumors about the number one true? So far, it really appeared like they were.

"Hahaha! So you know me!?" An insane laugh erupted suddenly from Accelerator, his hands cracked as he prepared to move again. "Then you must know of what I'm capable of! It's too late to run now!"

The Number one punched the ground beneath him, the surface breaking instantly and chaotically. The albino boy ducked and touched the cracked ground, and suddenly, a massive piece of rock flied up in the air and started to fall down, yet it suddenly stopped in mid air.

Accelerator touched the enormous mass of rock and it was sent as a projectile towards the boy in white at ludicrous speed.

"Ultra Extreme Giga Amazing Punch!" Soggita roared as the rock mass was smashed to pieces when the red energy gathered around his fist impacted with the solid projectile.

Rubble was sent everywhere, dust setting on the area as both level 5s moved again at incredible speed. Accelerator swung his hand at Sogiita, but failed when the **Rising Sun Lover** ducked under his limb, twirling his body as blue and red explosions spread around the area.

Sogiita's plan was to unbalance his enemy in order to make him lower his guard, but was caught off guard when he noticed that his explosions didn't affect the ground where Accelerator stood.

"Your barrier is powerful, I see… Full of guts!" He commented, his grin wide. "Then I'll show you mine!" Sogiita stood still and focused again, putting both hands forward. "Give me your best shot!"

The Number One narrowed his gaze and approached him again.

Several explosions occurred behind the Number 7 as he prepared himself, all while shouting.

"Super Ultra… Defense!"

When he was at arm's reach, Accelerator sent a fist towards the strongest Gemstone and impacted on a barely visible barrier. The impact of Accelerator's attack on Sogiita's **Aurora Guard** created a shockwave that sent the black-haired level 5 flying away.

To Accelerator's surprise, he noticed that his own attack was reflected back to him, clashing with his Redirection ability. The unexpected occurrence created a strange force that Accelerator couldn't calculate, its vector was unknown and it made him stumble.

"Huh… I assume you are a level 5," Accelerator narrowed his gaze, regaining his balance. "There is no way someone below that level can withstand my own reflection barrier… This is getting more fucking interesting!"

The White-garbed boy shook his head. After impacting on the side of the Iron Bridge, which hurt like hell by the way, Sogiita stood on his feet, a bit worried. Not even his powerful guard stopped the Number 1.

Sogiita could not believe it or did not want to believe it, yet it was happening.

"I'm gonna need more guts…" Said the black-haired boy in a serious manner. "Maybe if-"

A dart flew from an unknown direction, impacting his arm, then three more came a second later, hitting him in the chest. Sogiita widened his eyes as he looked at the needles on his body, grabbing one to look at it more closely.

He was careless, Sogiita was so focused on his opponent that he let his guard down, and it would cost him dearly. His body felt numb and it wasn't responding, it seemed like a powerful drug was inserted into his system and worked towards his brain in seconds.

Sogiita Gunha did the impossible and stood up despite his condition, however, his eyes eventually closed as he felt his consciousness fade away.

Accelerator looked in annoyance at his opponent, lying unconscious on the ground as many people popped out of nowhere from every direction; all of them wearing black uniforms with red patterns and aiming their assault rifles at him.

"I understand now…" The albino boy muttered. "Despite all the crap happening around here, I was wondering why this area was empty…"

One of them lowered his weapon and stepped forward. "We are not here to attack you, Number One… We came to retrieve this boy, nothing more than that."

"Do I look like I give a fuck!?" Accelerator shouted suddenly, the people around him tensing at his aggressive tone. "Whatever… I'm outta here, losers!"

The red-eyed boy sighed in exasperation and walked away.

Accelerator figured it all out now, why he was intercepted by unknown people with the purpose of fighting him so suddenly, the timely appearance of this other level 5 when he was about to make an example of the people that dared attack him and the intervention of this armed group during their fight.

The Strongest realized that their goal was to capture the level 5 that now remained unconscious behind him, it was as if they created an scenario where this weird esper would see him as an enemy. It made sense, with those odd abilities, maybe this group couldn't capture him, but if he was weak and not focused on them, a chance would arise where he would become an easy target.

Basically, they used Accelerator to weaken the Number 7 and capture him… Really smart, aren't they? Their plan worked, after all.

"Tch… Interrupting my fight like that…" Accelerator clicked his tongue. "You guys are lucky I'm hungry or I would have beaten you all to a fucking bloody pulp."

The man with the uniform sighed in relief as the level 5 just left, and glanced at the gemstone on the ground.

"The target has been captured," The man spoke through his communication device. "Mission accomplished… We can now proceed with the next phase of the plan."

The man lowered the communications device after receiving his next orders.

"All right men! We have new orders, secure the target and move out!"

**Part 15**

Kamijou Touma observed carefully his surroundings; no one came in sight, thankfully.

The boy was currently inside a long passageway he entered from the fields. The students were apparently gathered inside the many classrooms, the cafeteria, the gym, the director's office, the teacher's staff room and by the entrance of the School.

It was time to act, Kamijou knew it.

The boy took out his cell and opened a file sent by Uiharu in it, which showed a detailed map of the facilities. The corridor where he was at the moment connected the left wing of the school with the main hall. Apparently the doors across the corridor lead to various rooms used by the students for the after-class clubs.

Roughly a minute passed as the boy memorized the map, his goal was to reach the director's office and the gym, that according to Uiharu's scans of the surveillance cameras, was where the school staff was held hostage.

Various questions kept appearing in Kamijou's head, like the reason behind the riots, why were these occurring in almost every district. Basically, the boy knew nothing, but that was irrelevant right now, the massive student riots was bringing chaos to the city that accepted him despite his terrible luck.

Kamijou Touma had to stop this madness, even if it was only in this school, he had to. Everyone else was fighting to restore order, and he would not fall behind.

The rookie of Judgment shook his head to clear any doubts and proceeded, prepared for anything.

It took him a couple of minutes to check every room in the corridor, all were empty so he advanced through the passageway as stealthily as he could until he reached the end of it, a large door less arc-shaped entrance that allowed him to see the next room, which was the place where the students kept their shoes in lockers at the main entrance a bit farther away.

The boy stopped himself from entering upon noticing several boys wielding bats as they walked around the area.

_(One, two… nine… There are nine here…)_

The boy glanced around a bit as he kept his body behind the wall where the arc was located and waited a couple of minutes.

_(Now!)_

Kamijou sprinted inside the lobby, turned left, and ran to another corridor, which led to the infirmary and the staff's room. Thankfully, no one appeared as he advanced to the teachers' office, but the boy refrained from entering the room, instead choosing to duck and used his ear piece.

"Uiharu, I'm in front of the teacher's room," The boy whispered, "How many people are inside?"

Uiharu typed various commands on her computer as she revised the cameras, the teacher's room showed at least 6 guys, she gulped nervously.

"There are 6 students from what I can see, but there could be more. One of them is holding a bat," Uiharu informed. "Are you planning to face them, Kamijou-san?

The boy blinked at both the sudden question and worried tone of the girl.

"Yes, I have to take them down," The boy replied. "Don't worry though; I know what I am doing…" He tried to calm her. "You did see me in action after all?"

Kamijou waited a few seconds and knocked on the door.

Voices erupted from inside as the sound of multiple steps made him notice that more than one person was coming to the door. He had to act accordingly to that possibility.

A brown-haired girl opened the door and blinked.

"…Who are you?"

Three boys stood behind the girl then, glaring at him.

"Judgment?" One of them glanced at the armband on his arm. "I thought all the agents here removed it… Then who are yo-"

The girl's words were cut short as the stun gun touched the girl and shocked her, making her collapse instantly, while a punch smashed into the face of the boy closest to her.

"Shit!" A rioter shouted as his companion fell over him, both hitting the ground.

Kamijou stunned both of them with his stun gun and moved on quickly. The electric device incapacitated another delinquent standing near the entrance as the Judgment boy dashed towards the next rioter.

The delinquent swung the bat but Kamijou simply ducked under it and delivered two quick punches to his stomach, the bat falling from his hands as he lost consciousness upon receiving a strong knee to his chin when he doubled over in pain. Without wasting a single second, Kamijou electrocuted the boy that tried to get on his feet and then directed his gaze to the only one standing in the room.

"Why are you doing this?"

"To purge the city," Was the delinquent's reply.

"To purge it from what?" Kamijou inquired.

"From the trash that rules over it, the Board of Directors."

Imagine Breaker folded his arms as he formulated his next question. The rioter simply responded without even thinking, like it was some sort of implanted response on his mind. The thug yelling through the megaphone outside gave him that impression so an idea came to him.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked again.

"To purge the city."

"…To purge it from what exactly?"

"From the trash that rules over it, the Board of Directors," The rioter replied.

The exact same answer…

"…Why are you doing this?" Kamijou repeated the question.

"To purge the city."

Now he was sure, there was something clearly wrong with him. The spiky-haired boy was beginning to suspect the reason behind the revolts. There was the possibility that someone did something to the students to make them revolt.

The last rioter in the room lunged towards Kamijou which he expected, so the pointy-haired boy sidestepped, extended his foot out for the rioter to trip over it, and as he did so, Kamijou grabbed his head and slammed it to the ground, the impact knocking him out instantly.

"That was impressive, Kamijou-san!" An excited voice came from his ear piece. "I saw it all from the camera!"

"Oh, okay. Well, I was a bit rough with them, but it's nothing that Heaven Canceller can't fix," The boy answered.

"Anyways, Kamijou-san I received important intel from the MAR and Anti-Skill squads! Some kind of device was found in the schools that had been recovered," Uiharu explained as she read the data appearing on the screen of her computer. "It says that these artifacts are some sort of psychic emitters that send encrypted messages through barely audible waves that triggers one's neurons, increasing the electrical activity in the brain."

Kamijou hummed in thought and said.

"So that basically means these things are probably the main cause for the students to riot out of nowhere, the senseless ramblings about purging or purifying the city are probably also the messages the machines are sending to the rioters."

"Most likely," Uiharu agreed. "The emitters are being examined as we speak so new intel should be arriving soon within the next few hours. Anyway, it's a relief to know that the students are only being manipulated, because this means that they are not creating chaos by their own free will."

That was certainly good to know, and Kamijou felt a bit relieved, too. This explained the whole sudden revolution thing; there was one important question that needed an answer.

And that was… Who was it that put these machines in all these schools?

"Oh! New data had just been sent…" Uiharu added as her excited voice implied that she just noticed the new intel. "It says they had captured some intruders that tried to pass as students in each shcool, so you can guess who put those emitters inside the facilities."

…That was quick… But the boy had another doubt.

"So who are these intruders exactly? What are they after? Why are they doing this?"

Well, more than one doubt.

"We don't know yet as the suspects have been taken into custody for interrogation just now… so that's all we have so far. Kamijou-san, please be patient. I'm sure we will uncover the truth soon."

Kamijou frowned but shook his head before glancing at the only door in the room. It was surprising how fast the recovery of order in the city was happening, even the investigations behind the sudden riots. Knowing this did put him at ease though.

Yet, the moment ended soon as Kamijou Touma once again focused on the task given to him; to take back Kaisei High School from the rioters and restore order by himself… Of course, if the support of a certain flower-wearing girl would improve his chances of succeeding, then it was certainly welcomed.

There was no need to hide as he had to find those emitters. With the students being freed from their influence, he could even get them to help him retake the school, but the boy knew he was being too optimistic. Still, he had to create a way for himself as he searched around for them, even if it meant storming through every class in order to find them.

Speaking about them…

"Um… Uiharu, why I'm not being affected by these waves? Why isn't anyone else handling these riots being affected for that matter? Do you happen to know?"

"I can only speculate… However, I think that only those exposed to these waves for a long period of time would get affected by these emitters…" She answered. "If you think about it, we were only in school to sit for the exams, and we then left after finishing them, so what happens to the students that decide to stay for a while longer?"

"They would inevitably be influenced by these artifacts…" The boy concluded. "What about the hostages? I assume they were exposed to the waves as much as the rioters."

"Eh? Well…" Uiharu contemplated his question, musing about any possibility. "As far as I know, every rescued hostage is an adult, so maybe the emitters' frequency only affects young people."

"Or it takes more time to affect older people…" Kamijou added as he walked out of the teacher's staff room. "But seriously, what sort of technology is that anyway?"

"I have searched around a bit, in Academy City, there are many labs and research institutions that explore that sort of technology, but during the Academic Assembly, the annual exhibition for the research done by the top students in the city, it has been declared that this kind of technology is still in an undeveloped state."

That could only mean one thing, the technology was foreign. However, how did someone develop such devices? AC was supposed to be the most advanced city in the world. There was no way another country or city could perfect this sort of technology. Kamijou could only imagine this working with the means of a powerful psychic such as Shokuhou Misaki, but an entire field of tech… No way.

"I see, well I'm gonna start my search for this emitters," The boy observed the grounds behind the school through the windows that extended across the corridor. "Can't waste any more time… And Uiharu…"

"Yes?" Uiharu blinked at the sudden mention of her name, his serious tone somewhat startling her.

"Thanks for helping me," Kamijou smiled, closing his eyes. "You could be helping Shirai and the others; instead you're using all your amazing skills to support me. So yeah, I really appreciate it. You're awesome Uiharu and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

The boy would never know, but in that moment, a certain Thermal Hand found herself blushing heavily, her concentration lost due to the compliment she just received, which was not that surprising because Uiharu wasn't really used to being complimented.

To say that she was happy was an understatement…

"D-d-don't mention it…" She stuttered, earning a chuckle from him. "It's just that I-I think that you at least should have a bit of support. Everyone else is advancing in groups while you…"

"And that's why I'm thanking you, Uiharu," His voice having a playful tone. "Your concern is appreciated by this Kamijou-san!"

Uiharu blinked at his words, her blush deepening as she held her the microphone attached to her earpiece without thinking.

"S-so… I-I will s-send you an u-u-updated map of the f-facilit-ties… with the possible lo-locations of these e-emitters. T-there seems to be an increased wavebrain pa-pattern a-according to the MEEG of the surveillance ca-ca-cameras in those locations..." As much as Uiharu tried to control herself, she felt too embarrassed. "Three d-devices of this kind were f-found in e-e-every recovered school so far, so just lo-look for three emitters..."

The boy raised an eyebrow in amusement at her nervousness.

"…What would I do without you, Uiharu-chan?" Kamijou teased, and then chuckled again.

The sound of something crashing, most likely a cup, came through his earpiece together a little… "Eh?"

His smile got wider.

**Between the Lines 5**

"Why can't we just kill them?"

A certain blonde spoke with indignation, adjusting the blue beret she wore as she looked at the bloodied people on the floor. A pleated skirt and a dark-colored sailor top completed her outfit.

Current location: Unknown.

"We need them alive, moron," Her boss retorted. "I would have liked to dispose of the garbage, too, but the Man in the Phone said they are going to be interrogated."

**Mugino Shizuri**, Level 5 and the fourth ranked strongest esper, merely glanced at the girl she considered a nuisance, **Frenda Seivelun**. Mugino endured the stupidities this girl did on a daily basis, such as the incident she had with a boy that supposedly cheated to defeat her in a game… a fucking game… and she decided to blow a whole block… yeah, stupidities was understating it.

**Meltdowner**, as Mugino was known, was the leader of the organization called **ITEM**, only known to those in the Dark side of City, whose primary function was to monitor the higher ups, and even the Board of Directors, to prevent them from gaining too much power within the city limits.

Green orbs dissipated around the level 5 as she sat on a box, her slender figure, her tea colored hair, her purple coat and the black belt she wore were covered in dust due to the unnecessary bombs her operative, Frenda, used.

The bombs the blonde used unleashed a cloud of dust when she tried to blow a room where their targets were hiding, creating the mess both of them were currently looking at.

While Frenda didn't use any esper ability, her knowledge of bombs and skills as a fighter, made her a very dangerous individual, but the foreign girl was no way close to beating her superior.

The **Particle Waveform High-Speed Cannon** was the main ability that Mugino used, and was why she got her nickname. By forcibly controlling the electrons on an ambiguous state where these were both particle and wave, the normal mass that should be zero was transformed, making the controlled electrons form a seemingly solid object.

This state allowed her to create highly destructive beams of high-speed electrons that could pierce through any target with the same speed as it was fired.

The beams of light the girl created could easily melt any sort of object, be it solid walls of steel to thick concrete. The intense heat this beams created could also make flammable objects explode.

She could use the manipulated electrons in other ways besides the high-speed beams, like creating a shield with it that was capable of disintegrating just about anything and even block shockwaves with it.

As she could only create 4 beams at a time, Mugino carried silicon cards that could disperse her individual laser shots into multiple ones, increasing her destruction power exponentially. She called it **Silicon Burn**.

However, when not using these items, her default beams could only be aimed at the direction she was facing, or one target. However, her beams normally had a high accuracy, allowing her to melt her target rapidly before proceeding to the next.

For these and many other reasons, Frenda Seivelun feared her, after all, Meltdowner could kill her in the blink of an eye if she desired to.

Mugino's cell rang suddenly.

"Kinuhata, what is it?" Seconds passed. "Done already? OK, I guess I'll call the grunts to take care of the trash," The level 5 closed her cell and began to play with a lock of her hair. "I guess we're done here…"

"But… Who are these people?" Frenda asked softly, knowing that if she pissed Mugino, she would be severely punished. "Are they related to the riots?"

The Meltdowner did not respond, her eyes only moved slightly to the now slightly panicking girl.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't fucking know!?" She growled, glaring intensely at her subordinate. "The job is done regardless, so we don't need to know a fuck about it… And I don't really care."

"A-a-as you say Mugino-sama!" Frenda bowed frenetically.

"Shut up already…"

Meltdowner crossed her arms as she mused about the city's current circumstances. The sudden chaos was being suppressed by the authorities, and the group of people she just captured were apparently intruders, so she had to wonder, were these persons related with the current school riots as Frenda said? The **ITEM Liaison** gave advice to Mugino, which was to not ask questions about the job as the matters involved a member of the Board of Directors. Really dangerous stuff was at play here.

Mugino stood up and walked out of the room, followed by the blond.

"Let's meet up with the others."

To that, Frenda could only nod nervously.

**Part 16**

There was no use in hiding his presence anymore, Kamijou Touma had to fight his way towards the locations marked on the map.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 07 **GTA 5 Music... VERY Good!**

* * *

Kamijou stopped after noticing that seven rioters had spotted him, so Imagine Breaker focused, readying himself for the next confrontation.

"He is part of the corruption that is tainting the city! Get him!"

A brown-haired boy yelled as he dashed forward, followed by six students, their target, the intruder inside Kasei High School.

Said intruder narrowed his gaze and moved to meet them head on, not even the tiniest trace of fear within him. This will not stop him.

Without making any wasteful movement, he took out every student attacking who weren't able to even touch him. In all, it only took two minutes for the boy to take down the rioters in the corridor that lead to the gym of the school.

Kamijou advanced quickly after finding and destroying an emitter located in class A-2, hidden beneath the teacher's desk. The location of the next artifact as it was shown in the map provided by Uiharu, inside the gym.

The double doors that led to it were at his side.

"Uiharu, how many people are inside?"

"Ehrm… there are like twenty or more students inside and five hostages…" She responded after examining the room with the two cameras located in the gym. "One of them is using- Eh?"

"What's wrong?" The boy asked.

"I… well, I think I saw someone on one of the cameras… But that can't be…" Her voice faded, and some seconds passed. "A-anyway, Kamijou-san, be careful in there."

Kamijou nodded, grabbed both doorknobs and opened the doors, preparing himself as he slowly walked into the gym. Various stares were directed at him, though he was a bit surprised as no one showed surprise, as if they expected him.

The gym was huge and would probably be able to hold every student of this educational facility. It was barely illuminated by the last rays of the sun that entered through the square windows located on the upper part of the walls, giving an odd atmosphere to the gym, and to their occupants, a more sinister look.

The black-haired girl with two Katanas that Kamijou saw by the entrance before infiltrating the facilities stood in the middle. She looked at him with a hard look.

"You finally came…" She said, half of her face covered in the dark, yet her eyes shone with murderous intent. "I couldn't believe when I heard that a single agent of Judgment infiltrated this school and was taking down every student, but looks like it's indeed true, you came here by yourself."

"So?" Kamijou flatly asked.

"So you were just lucky or maybe… You are a powerful esper…" She raised one of her blades and pointed the tip at him. "I'm inclined to say the latter. After all, you managed come all the way here."

Kamijou remained silent, and looked at her incredulously before…

"Pff…" His face changed, both hands covering his own mouth that threatened to burst out into laughter. "A powerful esper…? Me…?"

Kamijou put a hand on his knees to support himself, trying to do his best to contain the urge of laughing his ass off but eventually just couldn't keep it in…

"HAHAHAHA!" The boy grabbed his stomach as he continued to cackle. "Man! A powerful esper!? HAHAHA!"

The girl could not understand his reaction. Why was the boy laughing? He was alone and about to face them by himself… Maybe he was confident? Or had a plan under his sleeve… or was indeed the powerful esper she thought he was.

"I'm sorry…" The boy said between chuckles. "Hehe, I'm sorry, I couldn't control myself."

"Don't take me lightly, whoever you are," Her blade shone as a ray of light fell over it. "People like you, who are tainted with perversity and corruption, shall be purified… Or so I would say…" Her change of expression brought an abrupt end to Kamijou's grin. "Let me present myself… I am Fujioka Aya, member of PURE and your… executor…"

"I can see that you are not being affected by the emitters…" Kamijou stood on his feet, narrowing his eyes. "PURE? Is that some sort of organization? I assume you are the ones causing this mess?"

"Do we need to talk? It's not like I'm going to let you go with your life now that I have told you the name of my organization," She smirked, and moved the sharp edge of one of her Katanas to the neck of a girl near her. "See? They are like puppets now, willing to die for our cause, so let me ask you something…? Are you willing to die for yours?"

No response was heard, so the girl motioned the nearby students to engage.

Nine boys moved first. Kamijou evaded a punch before returning the favor to his face, before dodging another who tried to grab him from behind and elbowing him in the gut, enabling Kamijou to grab him in act as a shield to block a kick before throwing his shield towards his companions. One of them tried to slash him with a knife but Kamijou grabbed his arm and twisted it, forcing him to drop it. The last thing the boy felt was a kick to the kidneys and massive pain before being punched in the face.

_(Damn, this is the first time I'm fighting this many people...)_

The boy rolled forward and delivered an uppercut to a fat boy, with a quick jab to the stomach of another rioter. Kamijou then sidestepped a fist and grabbed the student's arm, using the momentum of his attacker against him, smashing his face to the ground.

The girl with a ponytail that called herself member of PURE, observed in interest as how the Judgment boy handled the brainwashed students. After he took down nine of them with ease, she sent more to deal with him, only to have the same thing repeated as the spiky-haired boy fought them without a scratch, avoiding, blocking and attacking those who engaged him with insulting ease.

Not waiting for the boy to take down all the students, Fujioka decided to join the fray and sprinted towards the distracted agent, her blades ready to slash him. To her surprise, the teen sidestepped to the side, evading her thrust and pushed the unconscious student he was fighting towards her, creating some space.

He kept the distance between them and continued to strike down the incoming students, moving as fast as he could using a combination of punches, kicks, throws and the stun gun to defeat them and never fighting her head on.

The boy was running away from the girl to find something to fight her with.

She was obviously unlike the rest, who were only armed with at most small blades and mindless, the girl in comparison was clearly skilled in wielding her weapons, managing to dual wield them without hurting herself, what's worse was that it seemed like she had no qualms about cutting him up.

_(Not good, not good! She's got two freaking katanas while I've got jack! There must be something I could use as a weapon around here! On the other hand, she's starting to get tired from the looks of it.)_

Kamijou glanced at the girl pursuing him; her movements were starting to get slower and sloppier as time went on. It was at this point that Kamijou was grateful for the daily marathons Tsukino made him go through.

And at that moment, he spotted a guy with a baseball bat coming at him and an idea come to his head, Kamijou kneed his attacker in the gut after dodging under the boy's wild swing, taking his baseball bat in the process.

So with the stun gun in one hand and a baseball bat in the other, Kamijou started taking out the students even faster than before, precisely aiming the weapon at their weak points like the kidneys and stomach.

Meanwhile, Fujioka was frustrated at not being able to catch the boy who was incredibly nimble and stayed out of her reach. The fact that she was staring to get tired while the boy doesn't even look winded.

"You…" Fujioka panted. "You don't need esper abilities… Your fighting skills are unbelievable."

"I appreciate the compliment but… None of them know how to fight," Kamijou said, avoiding more of her slashes again. "Delinquents are more skilled than that, trust me, I know."

Kamijou head-butted one rioter and incapacitated a girl that wore a surgical mask with the stun gun before kicking her in the stomach.

Kamijou looked around him, none of the rioters were standing, and the only conscious one was the one behind him, starting to gasp for breath.

"I hate to do this but you are giving me no choice."

The boy ran faster to increase the distance between them and suddenly turned around, surprising the girl and threw the baseball bat at her, forcing her to block. As she was distracted, she didn't notice Kamijou shot his stun gun at her, shocking and making her drop her weapons. She couldn't do anything as the boy kicked her in the chest, sending her falling backwards.

Kamijou then proceeded to kick her blades far away from her grasp just to make sure.

"Just…" Fujioka tried to speak through the electric shock, the hit she received could have broken her ribs. "…Who the fuck are you…?"

"Just a very unfortunate boy who needs to buy some eggs at the lowest cost possible and as fast as possible," He replied with a smirk.

"…What?" She blinked in confusion at the nonsensical answer she received.

Kamijou smiled darkly and leaned towards Fujioka.

"Never mind that. Now… where are the other emitters?"

**Part 17**

"So this thing's gonna make it possible? I don't buy it, dude…"

A certain member of the armed group, Skill-Out, asked in disbelief to a shady character, who wore a cloak to cover his/her identity. The voice of the unknown individual was being disguised with a device that deformed it, making it impossible to tell if the person was male or female.

"You can think whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me if I sound convincing or not," The scary voice said, the gas mask the individual used came into sight. "I'm offering you the chance of fulfilling your goals, to make a change for the good of this city but it all depends on you."

The thug frowned, looking at the six huge vans parked inside the garage of an abandoned shopping building. The door of the boot of one of them was opened, and inside it, a machine that looked as some sort of big music system, with three big amplifiers and several buttons and such to seemingly operate it.

"I…" The thug began. "I will gather my group."

"Excellent choice," The cloaked figure nodded.

"But… Even if we have this, we'll need some sorta plan, ya know. It's not like we can storm through security with this stuff like a bunch of bulls."

The unknown individual remained silent for some seconds before taking a cell from the cloak, and threw it to the Skill-Out member.

"Actually, I have a plan that you could use to infiltrate that area. I'll send the details to that cell in half an hour from now, so be prepared."

The level 0 thug blinked as he glanced at the telephone on his hands. It was hard to believe that such technology existed and it was being given to him. Maybe with the sudden school riots erupting in the city, it was their chance to teach those high level espers to not misuse their abilities, to not look down on level 0s and to respect the skill-less espers.

"But who are you? Why the fuck are you helping Skill-Out?" The thug inquired.

The deformed chuckle that came from the cloaked figure sent shivers down the spine of the delinquent. The white light bulbs in the large garage added a more fearsome look of the unknown person due to the low intensity of the lights, which was beginning to freak him out.

"Let's just say that your goals are but another step to accomplish ours," The deformed voice spoke as the thug gulped. "Anyway, get moving."

The thug looked at the piece of paper over the old table in front of him, which displayed the map of their target… **District 7's School Garden**.

**Part 18**

Kamijou Touma had to move quickly, only one last emitter remained and the students were aware of him. After destroying the second device, he tried to free the professors and the cleaning staff inside the gym but found that they were already under the effects of the psychic disruptors.

The adult people babbled about purifying the city, which confirmed his theory about these waves taking more time to affect older brains, so in the end, Kamijou refrained from releasing them from the ropes that held them.

Even after destroying the artifact, the hostages kept talking senseless stuff, making Kamijou realize that the influence of the machine would not disappear that easily. There was even the chance that the affected people would need some kind of treatment to get rid of the emitter's influence.

So he moved on and finally arrived at the corridor that would take him to the director's office, though oddly, no rioters appeared on his way there.

"Uiharu, is something happening? I expected more rioters would appear to stop me but this area seems empty…" No response came. "Uiharu? Can you hear me?"

The boy did not get any response from his support, surprising him, so he took out his phone and noticed that it was not functioning either.

"Ok, something is wrong." The boy pocketed his cell and resumed the search for the last emitter, but came to a stop when a loud voice echoed in the corridor, yet it came from outside.

"You've done it, Judgment agent!" It was most likely that a loudspeaker was being used from the outside. "You won't find anyone else inside but the rest of the hostages in that office, so feel free to release them… Even the emitter is in the room," The voice stopped for several seconds before it resounded again. "However… if you want to face us, we are waiting for you in the inner grounds!"

That was without question a challenge.

The boy blinked as he contemplated his next course of action. He could either go to the director's office and destroy the last emitter, or go to the field and fight the last group of rioters. There was also the chance that whoever used the loudspeaker was lying.

A minute passed as Kamijou made his mind; he decided to go check the office first before heading to the field, in case that message was not a lie.

**o-0-O-0-o**

As Kamijou was about to open the door, he heard some sounds coming from the room, alerting him, but not enough to stop him. Kamijou pushed the door slowly, to only widen his eyes as he saw a man trying to strangle a girl he knew, a girl that wasn't supposed to be there, a girl he befriended a couple of days ago, Saten Ruiko.

Kamijou dashed forward and jump kicked the man directly on his face, sending Saten's flying attacker to the wall. The Sakugawa student gasped for breath as she coughed several times.

"Saten! Are you okay?" Kamijou asked worriedly to the other level 0. "Saten?"

She didn't respond immediately, so Kamijou waited for her to speak.

"Ugh…" Saten massaged her neck, sitting on the director's desk. "I think I am… Thanks Kamijou-kun…"

"But why are you here?"

Kamijou sighed in relief, assuming a more relaxed posture while the black-haired girl looked rather nervous, like a girl who was waiting for the inevitable punishment of her father.

"It's a funny story, you know," She began, giggling nervously. "I kind of… followed you…"

Kamijou furrowed his brows as he tried to imagine how she managed to follow him all the way here, first off was the distance of the Furiai Plaza from Kaisei High School, then there was the wall he climbed and the Anti-Skill members around the area as there was no way they would have let her enter the school, it was dangerous after all.

"How and why?"

"A girl with white hair helped me climb the wall, she was from Anti-Skill…" Saten replied, looking at her unconscious attacker. "She said that if I was determined to help, then this was my chance to do something."

"Did that girl have yellow eyes and short hair?" Kamijou inquired with suspicion.

"Yes…"

_(Goddamnit Tsukino! Is this part of the trial?)_

The reason for the presence of Saten inside the Kaisei School was because of Tsukino Yui, that much he could tell, yet, how come Tsukino let an untrained girl and level 0 into such a dangerous place? It was irresponsible to say the least… What was she thinking anyway?

"You have some bruises on your body," Said the boy in a serious manner, glancing at her arms, legs and face. "Have you fought anyone before coming to this room?"

"Ehrm… a couple of boys… and a girl…" She responded softly.

"So it was you. I was wondering why I found those three unconscious near the baths… I assumed that maybe they fought each other or something."

While this explained that event, Kamijou was surprised to know that the girl in front of him managed to take down those three rioters by herself. However, the bruises on her body showed that she suffered some damage while doing it, or maybe the guy that tried to choke her just some minutes ago hit her.

"Yeah… That was me… I'm kinda good with the bat so…"

_(She used a bat? That was unexpected… Then again, I used a bat so it's not like I can complain.)_

"But you could have…"

"Don't worry, I didn't hit them that hard," She flashed him a smile, picking up her bat from the floor. "Not going to the jail for murder is a powerful motivator, you know?"

"I guess…" He shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the hostages in the room that were staring at him for some reason, muttering words. "What on…"

"Earth?" Saten completed. "Kamijou-kun, do you know why the teacher attacked me? When I freed him, he lunged at me like some sort of animal…"

"It's the emitters…"

"Emitters?" Saten blinked twice.

"I don't know who but someone is using some sort of waveform emitter device that influences people around an area, so don't free any more hostages," Kamijou glanced at the grey device over the bookshelf by the entrance. "I'm beginning to think that any adult affected by those things becomes highly aggressive, while teens like us become easier to manipulate."

"W-what are you talking about? I don't understand…"

"I'll explain later," He took Saten's bat from her hands and smashed the emitter, destroying it completely and stopped it from functioning. "Finally, those voices are gone…" Kamijou sighed in relief.

"Y-you… you're right! I don't hear anything anymore," Her eyes darted everywhere. "Was that machine sending those voices?"

"Sort of…" The boy returned the weapon to the girl and walked out of the room. "Aren't you coming? I'm taking you out."

"No," She answered instantly.

"No?" He turned around to face her.

"No…"

"Uh… why?" The boy was startled by the seriousness she sported all of the sudden.

"You think I came all the way here just to leave?" She glared at him, sounding a bit irritated. "I'm tired of being the only one staying behind. Even you, a level 0 like me, is taking down a whole school by yourself… I have seen you fight them, you are amazing while I…"

"Are you trying to prove yourself?" Kamijou frowned. "You don't need to, Saten. Your friends value your-"

"My uselessness? That's what they value?" She interrupted. "I can help, I know I can… even if I don't have any ability or fighting skills, I can do something… I can help you, so please, let me stay here…" She looked at the ground, her hands forming fists. "You're my friend too! I can't let you go and face such dangers by yourself… Not when I can help you," She looked up at him, tears threatening to trail down from her eyes. "What friend would leave someone to deal with such things alone? I heard them taunting you so… What if something happens to you while I just run away? I would never forgive myself."

The boy was stunned, he never imagined that all this was welling up inside the cheerful and energetic girl, her lack of power was a heavy burden on her and he could somewhat understand it. Kamijou felt a bit like her sometimes but he never desired having esper abilities, yet he held the Imagine Breaker, a power that could nullify them.

The irony was quite… ironic.

"Let's go…" He lowered his head. "Stay behind me."

Saten Ruiko removed her tears with one arm and nodded determinedly.

"Yes…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

"I thought it was only one… but he has a friend with him… I'm not that impressed anymore."

Kamijou narrowed his gaze as a boy with red hair spoke, the one he saw at the entrance earlier and at his side, the guy with the megaphone, with a large group of controlled students around the two.

The pointy-haired boy stood at the other side of the field, Saten Ruiko behind him.

"Cut the crap!" Kamijou roared. "Who the hell do you think you are to cause this mess!? Innocent people have been hurt!"

"I'm sorry but I'm not the one who hit them," The thug replied easily. "If someone is to blame, that would be you, don't you think?"

Kamijou gritted his teeth, glaring at the redhead.

"That may be true but it was necessary!" Saten yelled to Kamijou's surprise. "It would have been worse if they continued to be exposed to those machines! The teachers have become crazy!"

"Oh… The hostages? I suspected something like that would occur…" He removed some sort of device from his ears. "It would have been easier if adults were controllable, but eh, what can we do?"

"Bastard, you're going down! I don't care what goals made you do this to the students, but don't think you are just going to get away with it and not suffer the consequences."

"Huh?" The man called **Akumi Ryouji**, member of an unknown organization called PURE, looked amused; the boy in front of him was an interesting lad. "Let's see how you made it this far then. I assume your ability as an esper allowed you to defeat so many people, so show me Judgement boy, show me what can you do."

Several boys and girls stepped forward and raised their hands, yellow balls of energy creating on their palms. Kamijou prepared himself upon seeing this.

"Saten! Stay behind me."

Saten nodded nervously and moved behind him, grabbing his shirt as she expectantly waited for whatever was going to occur. The energy those students created looked dangerous.

"Purify the tainted boy! Purify the tainted boy! Purify the tainted boy!" The controlled students repeated as the energy balls finally were shot towards him.

Kamijou widened his eyes as the yellows balls of energy hit the area where the boy was standing continuously, clouds of dust were created due to the impact with the energy balls' impact with the ground. The last thing Akumi saw was the boy raising his hand before the dust covered his surroundings, enveloping him and his companion.

As the energy balls continued to slam into the spot where the boy stood, Akumi remained looking at the dust, waiting for the boy or his friend to react, but there was no movement, and the projectiles just kept bombarding them, increasing the dust.

Akumi raised a stopping hand, and the manipulated espers lowered their hands, ending the assault. He observed the dust, smiling amusedly as the other boy who was muscular and wore a white bandana approached him.

"They say he never used any ability while fighting," Akumi's right hand, **Fukui Arata**, commented, crossing his arms. "After that attack, he could be dead."

"I hope not. I don't think that someone who managed to defeat Fujioka and so many espers of level 0 to 3, would be killed by that… But maybe I overestimated him…"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 08 **I consider this the Imagine Breakers's Song.**

* * *

"It's funny…" A voice echoed loudly, startling both members of PURE. "You're still underestimating me… huh… Even after I beat every one of yours comrades so far…"

The students and the two boys responsible behind the madness of Kasei High School hardened their gazes. The dust was dispersing, yet someone came out of it before the dust disappeared completely, walking with determination.

Unharmed by the volley of projectiles, Kamijou Touma appeared out of the smoke alongside his companion; his eyes sharp and focused on them.

"That's not going to work."

"Heh… so you do have an ability… Whatever it is…" Akumi said darkly, his canines becoming visible. "What is your level… huh?"

The boy didn't change his serious expression as he continued to approach them, each step harder than the next as his right hand formed a furious fist.

"I am…" He began. "…Well, that's none of your business, but you're going down..."

With those words, he continued to walk towards them, Saten Ruiko holding her bat tightly as she moved with him.

More projectiles were shot then by command of Fukui, but these simply disappeared as Kamijou raised his hand and opened his palm, only to close it into a fist. At that exact moment, a fearsome roar was heard in the area, each ball of energy fading upon nearing him.

"What the hell!?"

A sudden sense of fear enveloped every person in the room for a mere second, but that ended instantly.

"Wow! I thought you needed to touch directly any esper ability in order to negate it…" Saten blinked in surprise as both stopped on their tracks. "What did you do?"

Kamijou Touma kept his gaze on the revolting students, but suddenly, he turned his head a bit, looking at Saten Ruiko over his shoulder, all while smirking with confidence.

"Let's just say I've been training…" The boy replied with an amused smile.

Saten was stunned by the boy's expression. His smile was somewhat smug, yet warm… and it gave her an odd feeling. The boy called Kamijou reminded her of her brother.

Before Saten could even speak, Imagine Breaker looked forward and sprinted towards their enemy, so she followed suit.

Moving between the incoming balls of energy without receiving a hit, Kamijou closed the distance with amazing speed, punching the espers that tried to stop him as he negated any projectiles that could have hit his companion.

One by one, the influenced students fell under the skilled moves and attacks of the spiky-haired boy as he made his way towards the two unaffected by the emitters, Saten knocking out whoever got hit by her bat.

Surprisingly, Saten noticed they were a good team, the boy and her together. This was proved by the rising number of students rendered unconscious by their combination of attacks. Well honestly, it was Kamijou who moved accordingly to her clumsy swings, defending her and attacking their aggressors at the same time… Nevertheless, it was working.

More continued to engage, more continued to fall. Both of them were unstoppable.

Kamijou glared fiercely at them, intimidating both members of the unknown organization.

"I totally see it now…" Akumi commented amusedly. "He indeed didn't use any sort of ability to come here as far as I can see…" A dark expression covered his face as he muttered to his companion. "Let's get out of here, they are waiting for us and that guy is dangerous."

"Ye-yeah, I didn't imagine he was that skilled," Fukui agreed. "What about the others? They are still guarding the main entrance."

"They are most likely going to get captured, even if I contact them. They will serve our purpose better if they remain by the entrance. At least Anti-Skill had refrained from acting because of them," The redhead answered.

"I was beginning to wonder why Anti-Skill just sent one Judgment boy, but seeing him kicking ass with such ease, man, those bastards know what they are doing."

More controlled students engaged both outsiders, the pointy-haired boy taking them down at the cost of several hits and cuts on his body, yet he endured them as he continued to advance.

Kamijou looked briefly at the girl, who swung her bat frenetically to keep them at bay, and smiled upon seeing her expression.

Saten Ruiko looked happy… or more like, excited, a wide smile that didn't disappear despite being outnumbered. It seemed that she indeed wanted to help and prove that she could do more than just cheering her friends.

The boy was impressed, her will was strong, and she truly showed him that every word she spoke before was true. Looking at her fighting with such a fierce spirit gave him a pleasant feeling and newfound respect for her.

"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing her bat towards two retreating males. "Kamijou-kun! They are escaping!"

After using his stun gun on another girl and a kicking a brown-haired boy, Kamijou roared at them.

"Cowards! You challenge me to come here, to only escape like that!?"

Akumi Ryouji slowed his pace and glanced at Kamijou over his shoulder, crimson eyes directed towards the law enforcer.

"I have bigger issues to attend to, so if you'll excuse me…" A wicked grin emerged on his face, startling both Saten and the pointy-haired boy. "Scum!"

Raising a hand, Akumi showed them a remote control of sorts, his thumb pressing a yellow button on it. Kamijou realized what it was and pulled Saten towards him as he jumped as far as he could from the building behind them.

The sounds of explosions rocked the Kasei High School.

**Part 19**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 09 **This song is also good!**

* * *

Yomikawa Aiho and Tsukino Yui watched in shock at the sudden explosions in front of them, every Anti-Skill agent taking cover as well as the students by the barred entrance. Fire erupted from the building in which her dear student was sent to.

The sky was dark.

A feeling of dread took control of her body as the busty woman stared in shock at the rising fire and smoke, unaffected by the fact that those explosions occurred right in front of her.

"T-Touma…" She whispered to herself, eyes widened.

"Bombs? Shit… this didn't happen in other schools… So why…?" Tsukino cursed under her breath as her gaze went to her companion. "Y-Yomikawa?"

The woman dashed forward, all while shouting.

"We are going in, right now!"

"Roger, Taichou!" The members of the Anti-Skill's branch 73 moved after the woman without any delay, riots shields and Tasers ready to subdue any resistance.

Tsukino sighed before moving with incredible speed, reaching Yomikawa in mere seconds, both women climbing the barrier made of varied school-related furniture.

The students were no match for them, Yomikawa using her electric pistol and her riot shield to bash the stunned students on her way while Tsukino just moved effortlessly between them as she delivered swift kicks.

The duo reached the entrance, smoke coming out from the double doors.

"This is really bad," Tsukino commented while turning to Yomikawa's squad. "Move quickly! We have to evacuate every single person out of the damn school!"

Yomikawa entered the facilities, storming through the doors, as she put a gas mask to breathe properly. Fire was spreading from the left wing and some students were lying on the floor. The other operatives moved to move them as she continued alongside Tsukino and many other members.

"We are lucky that the Fire-Exterminating Squad have also been dispatched to help, they are just 5 blocks away," A male officer informed as he ran by the woman's side. "So they should be able to control the fire when they arrive, sir."

The woman nodded.

Other squads entered the facilities and spread out to search for any people inside. To their surprise, they only found unconscious students, so each member took them one by one out of the danger zone.

Only Yomikawa, Tsukino and two other operatives knew of the fact that a Judgment member infiltrated the facilities, so finding so many unconscious people seemed suspicious to the rest of the law enforcers. Without any other explanation, they just attributed the state of the rioters to the sudden explosions.

Tsukino had separated from Yomikawa and reached the gym where multiple students lied unconscious on the ground as some of the school's staff people that were still tied with ropes, coughed violently due to the smoke. The white-haired girl used her stun gun on them as she knew of the intel sent by the others squads around the city. The adults had become aggressive due to exposure to the emitters used to control every student, so taking them out would only be possible if they were not conscious.

Moving diligently, every person, student or worker of Kasei High School, was taken out to safety thanks to the amazing work team of the 6 squads dispatched to evacuate the facilities as **Fire-Zero**, the firefighter group within Anti-Skill, begantheir fire-controlling operations.

Yomikawa entered many classes, and found only unconscious students that were evacuated by the other operatives moving with her. Other rooms she searched were empty; her time was running out as the fire was spreading fast in the deeper areas.

"Touma… Where are you…?" She pleaded inwardly for the spiky-haired boy to appear before her but that was not occurring. "Where the fuck are you!?" She shouted to no one, surprising the agents with her.

The other members resumed their search as the woman stood inside an empty corridor, her eyes soon reached a group of unconscious people out of the window.

"The inner fields!" Yomikawa dashed to the broken windows, using her shield to remove the remaining parts of the broken window from the wall and climbed through it.

She looked around the area and noticed one of the outer walls was completely destroyed. Many officers soon reached the area where the woman was through both the windows she used and the enormous hole on the outer walls.

"What the hell happened here?" Tsukino's voice came from the team that came from the building, while the evacuation in the area begun.

The woman walked towards her companion.

"Yui, have you found Touma?"

"I'm afraid not, nor any other of our people. He isn't here… I'm sorry…"

Tsukino bit her lip inside her gas mask as Yomikawa removed hers, blue tearful eyes startling the golden-eyed girl. Never in her life had she imagined that the strong woman would look so weak, so desperate… Tsukino knew that Yomikawa cared for the boy, but she just realized that this was far deeper than a student and teacher relationship, or even casual friendship… it was something more deeper, much deeper.

Yomikawa was about to cry, and Tsukino gritted her teeth at such a sight. Not only was the girl that she let enter the school missing but him as well.

"I'm sorry, Aiho…" Her weak voice was lost within the many shouts of the other operatives as both woman and girl fell in silence.

Kamijou Touma had disappeared from the area.

**Between the Lines 6**

"Californium 252… Who would have thought that Academy City received such valuable elements for research from the United States…? How much is its worth?"

Iron Head, member of SCHOOL, asked to Michiyo, another member of the aforementioned group, while the second strongest esper, Kakine Teitoku, finished off three guards that were fool enough to try to stop him with his 'unknown matter'.

All of them were inside of an underground lab.

"According to Management, its 27 million American dollars per gram… which is a huge amount of money if you don't know," She replied with no amusement. "And we have more than half a kilogram inside this machine."

"This was too easy… I guess the EMP device worked just fine," Kakine commented before chuckling slightly. "And Anti-Skill is too damn busy with the school riots so there was barely any security… A bit disappointing but at least the job is done. Let's get out of here."

An enormous white beetle materialized from a white ball created by Dark Matter. The huge rhinoceros beetle used its front horn to destroy the supporting system of the machine that contained the valuable isotope, only produced by the **Oke Ridge National Laboratory** located in **United States**, **California**.

"B-be careful with that thing, man. Management said it was highly radioactive…" Iron head warned, feeling fearful.

"Let's move!" Dark Matter ordered. "My beetle is going to take this out."

With that, GROUP left the underground facilities, facing no resistance on their way out.

**Part 20**

"E-every person inside the Kasei High School has been e-evacuated successfully, T-Taichou," Informed Tessou Tsuzuri, partner of Yomikawa and close friend of her.

Yomikawa nodded, her gaze locked on the ground, her face showed a defeated expression, which was not only shocking to Tessou, but to Tsukino as well.

"I guess every hospital in the city will be full for the next two days…" Tsukino commented, her voice so low that it could has been a whisper. "I hope there are not that many injured people in the other operations…" She sighed. "I still can't believe that the intruders managed to escape.

Yomikawa didn't hear her… at all; her mind was a total mess. She felt depressed, guilty, she regretted letting her student face such danger alone and now he was gone… She was too damn careless.

From what they could tell so far, the group responsible escaped the facilities, and most likely had taken both her student and the girl that Tsukino informed she let in the school, much to Yomikawa's dismay, hostage. Anything could be happening to them and she couldn't find them. The City was still in chaos despite most of the riots had been brought to an end and the emitters had been destroyed.

When the explosions occurred, an unknown armed group intercepted the squad guarding the area by the side of the inner fields, facilitating the escape of whoever left the school through the destroyed walls. During this fire fight, was probably the moment where both missing students disappeared.

New intel had been gathered from the captured suspects. A group that called themselves **PURE** was responsible for distributing the emitters in almost every school; however, none of them possessed any other useful information besides that.

It was like every **PURE** member's mind was blank, only holding the information of their task to be done, which was to create riots across every educational facility using the psychic devices. Upon investigating their identities, it was discovered that none of them were residents of the city but of many others.

School students, college students, people that worked in different jobs, males and females of varied ages, were the captured suspects. But there was no lead or intel that could help identify the mastermind of this unknown organization. Missing people across Japan had been apparently brainwashed and used by whoever planned this, and Tsukino suspected there was something far more sinister yet to unfold.

"We'll find them, Aiho," Tsukino let out some words of encouragement, sitting by her side. "I promise."

"Where are we going to find them? Tell me?" Yomikawa spoke with clear worry and irritation in her tone. "We don't know where to go…"

Tsukino and Tessou remained in silence after that, when a voice came through the white-haired girl's walkie-talkie attached to her belt.

"All Units, requesting immediate backup, over."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 10

* * *

Another voice came after that.

"Here, branch 102. What's the situation…" No response came. "I repeat, what's the situation? Over."

The Anti-skill agents stationed by the frontal area of the high school paid no attention to their respective walkie-talkies, while Yomikawa grabbed the device, surprising Tsukino and spoke herself.

"Yomikawa Aiho speaking. I have several squads ready to move. Please, explain the situation. Over."

Everyone remained silent as they waited for a response, which came eventually.

"An unknown armed group has infiltrated the inner levels in School District 22. They are attempting to enter the labs located in the fifth level."

"Roger!" A man with short black-hair quickly replied. "We are on our way. Hold on for fiv-"

"The elevator main doors have been compromised; the second inner security area has been breached. Intruders with heavy weaponry, most likely rocket launchers are advancing."

Several gunshots were heard through the device, two squads already taking their leave in order to give support.

"What about the stationed guards and security?" Tsukino inquired, grabbing the device still on Yomikawa's grip. "Can't they hold them while the reinforcements arrive? Over."

"Negative. Most of our security had been dispatched to control the riots. We are currently lacking manpower. Over."

A new voice came from the walkie-talkie, apparently a third party.

"Understood. Anti-Skill's special tactic Unit is close by," A dry voice informed. "Resume and complete the riot-control operations. DA will handle this. Over and out."

"DA is going to be involved…?" Tsukino furrowed her brows, walking to a vehicle near them. "This isn't going to end well…"

"What do you mean?"

Yomikawa inquired as she remembered having heard about a certain cooperative organization within Anti-Skill's ranks called **Disciplinary Action**. This group worked under the command of **Nakimoto Rizou**, a member of the City Board of Directors.

"I'll explain on the way there," Tsukino responded in a serious manner, an expression not usually seen on her. "Let's go."

"I… I can't, Yui…" The gold-eyed girl stopped on her tracks upon hearing Yomikawa's shaky voice. "I need to find Touma. He is my responsibility so I…"

The busty woman lowered her gaze, her voice fading into nothing.

It was her fault, she made that reckless boy join Judgment, train with Tsukino, and finally, she allowed him to enter Kasei High School alone. If she had just stopped him, but it was too late, he was nowhere to be found, the boy was gone.

Possible scenarios began to materialize in her mind, where the spiky-haired boy died, and it tore her heart to just think that she made the boy take a** ROAD** where he could possibly perish. It was her fault that he was gone, after all.

Yomikawa Aiho felt fear, anguish, hate towards herself, desperation, guilt, and helplessness. If something was to happen to him, she would…

"Aiho, listen to me. If I have learnt something about Kamijou-kun during this time is that he is not someone that forgets about the people he cares about," Yomikawa widened her eyes at Tsukino's solemn face and tone. "And honestly, I don't think he was captured… Kamijou-kun is better than that, you know?"

"I know!" She yelled. "I know how capable he is, I know, but… I can't help it… I'm worried. He is very spec-"

"Taichou!" A man in uniform approached them. "I can't tell if this is of any relevance but we found something."

Not even a single second passed before Yomikawa stood up and looked at him.

"Lead the way."

**o-0-O-0-o**

Yomikawa, Tsukino and Tessou found themselves looking at some letters painted on the wall near the double doors that lead out to the inner field.

The letters were as followed.

**DWY I'FT**

"What does this mean?" Yomikawa blinked before assuming a thoughtful expression. "A message from him, maybe?"

"Being optimistic, yeah, it could be from him, or not," Tsukino sighed. "We can't assume that it's from Kamijou-kun," She folded her arms, slight irritation on her features. "Honestly, this could have been written by any of the rioters, any joker could have done it even before the revolution started."

Despite what she said, Yomikawa was reluctant, or more like, hopeful of the newfound evidence that could prove that his student was fine, or at least let her know what happened to him. She would believe anything that would show that Kamijou Touma and the other missing student were fine.

"Still, this could…"

"Wait…" Tsukino cut Yomikawa off. "Now that I think about it… There were a couple of times where he left me a piece of paper when he left without saying good-bye," As she said this, the legend of Anti-Skill retrieved the mentioned object form her pocket. "**TT I'BGH**."

"What?" The woman glanced at the letters written on the paper. "It's like this! So this is a message from him, but what does it mean?"

"Well, I didn't know what these letters meant so I asked him the next day," Yomikawa nodded as her fellow operative elaborated, nodding expectantly. "He told me that his cousin tended to leave him messages like this so he wanted to try it on someone else… he even made fun of me for not understanding his message…" Tsukino muttered the last part quietly.

"So!?" The woman rushed her to speak, startling the white-haired girl.

"It meant: **T**hanks **T**sukino. **I'**ll **B**e **G**oing **H**ome… How the heck would anyone understand that!? He was just trolling me!"

Yomikawa ignored her complaints as she thought about the other letters for several minutes and then she realized it.

"**D**on't **W**orry, **Y**omikawa. **I'**m **F**ollowing **T**hem…"

Tsukino and Tessou blinked in surprise, because the message had just been translated, making them wonder if she was correct, and how the heck she came up with it.

"It… makes sense…" Tessou commented, noticing the little glint on her Taichou's eyes. "Um… what are we going to do now?"

"Yui," The woman turned to the girl. "Let's go to District 22."

**Between the Lines 7**

"It seems you have a traitor inside the city-nya…"

A blond boy that wore sun glasses for no clear reasons, a gold chain around his neck, a green Hawaiian shirt and shorts informed to a being that could be considered human, yet said being was far from being one. This being was actually the general superintendent of Academy City.

The 'human' **Aleister Crowley** observed the blond in silence through the material of the cylinder that contained him, filled with red liquid. The 'human' that was upside-down and wore a green surgical gown didn't seem moved by the news brought by the boy standing in the dark room with no doors, windows, staircases or corridors.

The being looked like both man and a woman, both adult and a child, both saint and a sinner. The blond felt a dense oppressing aura coming from this being.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu, the secret agent in charge of spying on a certain organization and the city he resided in, tensed in anticipation.

"I appreciate your efforts, but I already know of it," The being's lifeless voice echoed in the dark empty room, only the light that came from the cylinder illuminated a small part of it. "You even stopped the intruders from initiating the revolt in your school."

"Complimenting me, huh?" Tsuchimikado chuckled slightly before changing his expression; his next words spoken in an impatient tone. "I wonder why are you letting this happen? The security's too loose."

Aleister gazed at him impassively. Despite that leaving all his life functions to machines, and by it, gaining a life span calculated to reach 1700 years, he didn't feel worried about the current chaos, after all, he knew it was going to occur.

"I only need this… traitor… to show himself," The 'human' responded. "I had discovered that someone from the board of directors is not happy with arrangements I have made with your leader… and is plotting against her using my city's capabilities."

The blond boy widened his eyes at the information revealed. The deal made by the highest authorities from both Academy City and the other organization helped maintain the balance between both sides, science and magic, and the spy, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, had been manipulating the flow of information that were leaked when certain incidents occurred that would break the existing balance.

"What do you mean!?" He responded in an angry tone, completely different from the façade he displayed at school or to his friends.

Aleister Crowley just responded casually to his subordinate.

"It's quite simple," The monotonous voice echoed one again in the room with no exits. "Someone is aiming to kill Laura Stuart."

**Part 21**

A spiky-haired boy and a long-haired girl waited for the doors of the large van they were in to open, hiding between the boxes stocked in the back.

After the explosion occurred, the **PURE** members attempted to escape, and Kamijou raced after them out of the school grounds through the breach on the school walls. As he left, the sight of an armed confrontation came within sight, when a hand pulled him forward; it was the level 0 who wanted to show that she was capable of helping, Saten Ruiko.

"What are you looking at!? C'mon! Let's go after those two!"

Upon realizing the situation, the boy took point and led the girl through the safest way as both chased after the fleeing thugs. Two vans awaited them so Kamijou and Saten hid between two vehicles and waited for their chance.

"Man, that was close!" The PURE member called Fukui let out a sigh of relief, scanning the area. "The diversion worked and that scary dude's gone."

Akumi Ryouji nodded as the front doors of one of the vans was opened. A man with brown-hair greeted him and his partner; all while a couple of students overheard the conversation.

"Good to see you guys, glad that you weren't forced to take the drug, many of our people had been captured, but I suppose they used it to avoid delivering those dogs any valuable info about us."

Akumi retrieved from his pocket a tiny capsule, which contained a powerful drug to destroy one's memory if consumed developed by a scientist hired from Russia.

"I'm glad too," the redhead responded. "It would have sucked to awake with no memories at all, but if it would have come down to it, our goal is what matters and destroying our minds is but a small sacrifice for the greater good of the world."

The other two males' conversation stopped as a shout came from the driver's seat of the other van.

"Can you guys hurry up!? There's still a fucking fire fight behind us!" A woman with purple hair shouted. "Get in so we can get the fuck outta here!"

The three** PURE** male members sweat dropped at her command and obeyed. The two vans left the area the gunfire continued the area, the PURE members unaware that a boy and a girl had sneaked in to the second van using the back doors.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 11

* * *

"I-it seems they parked and left the vans," Saten whispered with a blush, looking at the boy that was sort of hugging her due to both using the only space where they would not be seen. "I… I'm gonna move…"

Kamijou gulped as he saw the girl moving from her sitting position. Even if they were in a dangerous spot, such events were always a bit embarrassing.

Saten pushed a box and looked at the driver's seat. There was no one in there.

"I think we can go out…"

A minute passed while Saten got over her embarrassment and opened the back doors slowly. They were inside a parking lot; silence reigned around the large empty area. Many other vans like the one both left were parked across the parking lot and some other vehicles.

"Where are we?" Saten asked to one in particular as she moved carefully, scanning her surroundings. "Look, there are six doors over there."

Kamijou looked towards the direction her index was pointing to and went towards them, only to blink.

"Elevators and staircases?"

**o-0-O-0-o**

"So we are in district 22?" Kamijou put his hands on his pockets. "How can you be so sure?"

Saten grinned. "Because I know a lot of stuff! I'm always on the web reading about lotsa stuff, so yeah. This place is like some sort of enormous underground complex that goes many levels down. Even the sky we are seeing now is but a huge panel on the ceiling with a big screen behind it."

"Nice, but it isn't the most amazing…" Kamijou commented under his breath, after all, his latest training sessions had used similar technology. "Anyway, why have those guys come here?"

"Um… I have heard rumours about advanced technology being developed in the lower levels, so that is most likely their goal, I guess."

The pointy-haired boy scratched his head. The elevators didn't work and it would be foolish to use them anyway so they used the staircases and went as far as it led them.

They were currently on the third level, in an underground street filled with many establishments, and there was even an entrance to an artificial forest raised with the complex's agricultural tech. The **Emergency Resuscitation Hospital** was also located on this level.

Not even a single person was around, the whole place was empty.

"H-hey Kamijou-kun!" Saten suddenly called out. "I think we can go deeper, there are more stairways in here."

Kamijou nodded.

**o-0-O-0-o**

The sound of explosions and gunfire echoed more loudly as both students walked down the spiral staircase. Orange lights illuminated the seemingly endless stairs.

"W-wait a bit…" Saten sat on the stairs and massaged her aching ankles. "How long have we been walking? I need to rest."

The boy stopped and sat by her side, causing her to feel a bit uncomfortable, the boy of course didn't notice it.

"We must be near the eighth level," Kamijou said, resting his elbows on his legs. "Something serious is happening, people are fighting somewhere around here."

"I think we shouldn't be here. We have no idea of what is going on…"

"But we know that those guys are in this place. I won't let them escape after what they did in the school. I hope Yomikawa and the others evacuated everyone to safety."

"I hope so, too…"

After that, neither of them spoke, and an uncomfortable silence soon came.

Saten kept her eyes locked on her knees, she could hear the soft breathing of the boy next to her, and it truly made her a bit nervous. She had never been alone with a boy before.

Kamijou, on the other side, was thoughtful. His mind raged with the many incidents that occurred today, and he was extremely worried of the safety of every person he knew. He wasn't the only facing the revolts after all.

And now he and the girl sat near him were in a dangerous situation. The safety of Saten Ruiko was his current priority, and seeing how things had turned out, leaving her alone was not an option… at least for the time being.

"You… are incredible Kamijou-kun…" A soft voice came from the girl suddenly, returning him to reality. "I noticed that you never showed fear, even if our lives were at risk, your face always looked so determined… It was inspiring…"

The boy blinked and turned to his left, Saten Ruiko was staring at him with an odd expression, which held an almost intimidating power. Kamijou stood up, and walked down a pair of stairs to avoid her gaze.

"Ehhh… Well… I haven't seen a single person around since we left the van. Weird's isn't it?"

Saten stood up and walked down the stairs.

"Now that you mention it, yeah…" She frowned. "I rested enough, let's continue."

Kamijou looked at her walk past him and sighed.

"What was that…? Geez…" He muttered.

After shaking his head to regain composure, Kamijou followed suit.

**o-0-O-0-o**

It was a mess. Kamijou and his partner reached a door that showed the following message: Personnel Only. However, the doors were opened as it seemed some type of hacking device was used to open them.

Upon entering, boy and girl found themselves inside a corridor, with corpses spread across it. The corpses were of both security guards and unknown people, most certainly dead due to the gunshots on their bodies.

Saten unconsciously grabbed Kamijou's arm and hid her face in his back. Kamijou narrowed his gaze as he realized that words weren't needed to explain her action. Both walked forward, with Kamijou leading the girl through the bloody corridor.

_(This is a fucking mess, damnit! Saten shouldn't be here...)_

The boy managed to take her out of that corridor into a tiny room where cleaning tools were stored.

"Saten… You can look now…" He whispered, glancing at the girl locked in his arm.

The girl slowly raised her head and opened both eyes. There were no corpses on sight so she relaxed her body and let go of his arm.

"So many dead people…"

"Yes…" He made a fist, knuckles going white. "Saten, listen. Get in the lockers while I explore the next room. I'll be back soon."

Saten would have liked to say: "No, I'm coming with you" but the situation had become absurdly dangerous and she didn't want to become a hindrance… At least she made it this far so it would have to suffice.

"Okay… but please be careful, Kamijou-kun."

Kamijou nodded.

"I'll be back… Don't lock the doors or it will be suspicious."

Kamijou waited for her to enter one of the lockers and close it before turning around and heading to the door. He slowly opened it, peered outside, and left the small room.

Saten hugged herself in fear and hoped for the best and his return.

**Part 22**

More bodies were spread in the area where Kamijou entered from the corridor of dead; this place seemed some sort of enormous storage room with columns of boxes, machines and the like. The few remaining lights across it barely illuminated it. The gunfire came to an end as fire spread in some areas.

The boy noticed people carrying riffle assaults walking across the area so he moved stealthily, avoiding them, to only see more of them appearing. The boy dashed towards the next set of boxes and hid behind them. The darkness was proving to be an excellent ally in these circumstances.

_(Who are these people…?)_

Kamijou looked at his left and saw more people approaching, so he quickly move towards the other direction… that's when a voice spoke strongly behind him.

"It seems someone has sneaked into our little private party…"

Kamijou widened his eyes in shock, he had been discovered. He turned around to the source of the voice as there was nothing else to be done. Before him, standing at the top of one on the columns of boxes was a red-haired man with matching eyes who wore a black suit, a tie of the same color over a red shirt.

The man was smoking a cigarette as he looked at the teen with an amused expression.

"And who would you be?" The man asked after taking the cigarette from his mouth.

Kamijou glared at the unknown man, not giving any heed to the fact that he was surrounded, every weapon aimed at his head.

"Just an unfortunate boy that got lost while he searched for a good Ramen restaurant and ended up here," He responded with a carefree attitude.

The redhead chuckled, in fact, every person that heard the boy did.

"Such an interesting lad! No fear at all!" He exclaimed, raising both hands, before he looked directly at his arm, or more exactly, at the green armband around it. "Judgment, huh?"

"Yeah…" Kamijou smiled, closing his eyes. "You know… You look very similar to this boy I have been chasing."

"Ah! You mean my son, Ryouji!" He smoked his cigarette and exhaled the toxic smoke. "He mentioned something now that I recall, but you won't find him here. He has other issues to attend to, so let me entertain you in his instead."

"By that you mean that I'm going to arrest you instead of him?" He said smugly, crossing his arms and assuming a confident stance. "Oh… Where are my manners? My name is Kamijou Touma and I'm here to arrest you."

The man laughed loudly, joined by several of the people around the boy. However, the laugher ended abruptly after some seconds, a tense atmosphere forming in the area.

It was then when every armed individual lowered their weapons and ran away with haste. Only **Akumi Tatsuo**, leader of **PURE**, remained before the boy.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Song 12 **To hear this song in particular is an obligation. AWESOME!**

* * *

"You indeed are an interesting fella… but… there is nothing you can do," A cold gaze was directed at the boy; yet said boy was not intimidated. "I can't imagine what you were thinking by coming here by yourself. I assume that you followed my boy here from somewhere, but let me make this clear to you."

"Which is what exactly?" Kamijou taunted.

"While I was planning to leave this place in ten minutes, why not earlier?" The man said casually before a wicked smile emerged suddenly. "You're messing with the wrong people boy, and I'm gonna show you why…"

Kamijou tensed as the man raised the sleeve of both his shirt and suit, displaying some sort of device attached to his hand, wrist and part of his arm.

"AUTO… actívate."

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 08 Section: Picture 04

* * *

Kamijou turned to look with a shocked expression at his right, and stepped back when something came into his sight, while the red-haired man smirked, cigarette in his lips.

An enormous robot stood on its two metallic legs, its arms destroying everything at his sides, its form almost hidden in the dark, yet two white eyes shone with intensity. The man in a suit remained where he stood, displaying a predatory smirk.

"I present you the FIVE_Over AUTO. The **A**ttack **U**nit **T**horned **O**men. With it, the Anglican Church will be… OVER!"

Several green orbs materialized around the machine, before each one of them sent a concentrated green beams upward. The lasers created perfect holes on the concrete, melting everything these beams touched. The process continued until an enormous hole was not only formed on the roof of this level, but on the subsequent ones.

AUTO raised its left arm towards the column where the redhead stood before the man jumped to its metallic limb, hands on his pockets as he spoke once again.

"I will purify this corrupted world using AUTO! First, the Anglican Church. Then… the Vatican itself."

The pointy-haired teen could only move out of the way as fire erupted from the foot of the large robot, propelling the mechanic weapon upward through the holes created by its green lasers.

AUTO was gone, and with it, the leader of PURE.

Kamijou felt weak in the knees as he stared in shock at the enormous machine, leaving the underground complex of district 22.

The school revolution was over, but **AUTO** has been activated.

It was at that time when Kamijou realised it, things were going to get a lot worse before they get better.

* * *

**Just like Monster Hunt, ain't it? Chaos has not reached its maximum level yet, so rest assured that the next update, that will also conclude this arc, will be Epic.**

**Beta Note:**

**Diller: This is Diller once more and as you can see the AUTO Arc is really starting to heat up. We're left with our valiant hero staring in awe as the Five OVER AUTO ascends to the heavens like an angel. An angel of doom in this case! How will Touma stop this Madness! Wait until the next chapter you impatient people XP But seriously I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.**

**Tomonee: As for Kamijou's ability and the way he fights, you have to remember that he has been dealing with delinquents for a long time. He couldn't have run from every fight, the training from hell he's been doing with Yui helps as well. So suffice to say, Kamijou is much more capable in a fight now.**

**End of Beta note.**

**Inquiries**** or doubts, ask them, don't be afraid. I haven't said this so far so, I love you guys for reading the story! Reviews are always welcomed. See you soon?**


	10. End of ROAD

**Yesterday is gone and tomorrow has not yet come. We have today, so open the profile of the story via my profile and let us begin.**

**\- Frank**

* * *

**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 09: Beyond the Battlefield lies Eternal Silence – End-of_ROAD**

**Part 0**

He was not afraid of death. It's the stake one put up in order to play the game of life. The day which we feared as our last was but the birthday of eternity.

Death may be the greatest of all human blessings as it never took the wise man by surprise… because he was always ready to go...

And these were the heroes that were made by the paths they had chosen, not the powers they were graced with.

But heroes, at times, had to be fools…

**Part 1**

"Saten-san? Are you still there?"

Kamijou Touma asked upon entering a small room filled with lockers, and looked directly to the one near the left wall, his gaze expectant.

The door from the locker opened by itself, or that was what it seemed until the figure of a nervous girl appeared from the inside. It was Saten Ruiko.

"K-Kamijou-kun…" She said shyly, nearing him. "I heard a lot of noise outside and I feared the worst… I…"

The pointy-haired boy blinked upon noticing the tears ready to fall from her eyes, and frowned. She was evidently scared, and leaving her alone in this room while he ventured into the unknown may have afflicted her more than he had imagined.

"I am here, right?" He put a hand over his chest. "See? I am fine."

"Yes…" She wiped her tears as a tiny smiled emerged in her face. "W-what happened?"

"Trouble… serious trouble. We need to get out of here."

Saten nodded quickly, she knew that whatever he said would be the best in these circumstances as she had realized how dependable he was.

Kamijou grabbed her hand and led the Sakugawa student out of the room.

**Part 2**

"I can hear gunfire somewhere…" Saten commented as his companion narrowed his gaze, both were going up the stairs that would take them back to the third level of the underground complex.

Kamijou, also noticing the noise coming from the top of the stairs, frowned. If there was gunfire, then maybe the armed people he saw inside that enormous storage room where the massive weapon AUTO was located, were engaging with another group, possibly the police.

He had to warn the authorities about the plan of the terrorist group called PURE and its leader, Akumi Tatsuo. Though honestly, with something that destructive, Kamijou could bet that Akumi was going to create mayhem with the FIVE_Over rather than hide it.

Soon, both teens reached the end of the long spiral staircase and approached the door that led outside cautiously. The noise of fire weapons and bombs seemingly came from it so Kamijou grabbed the doorknob slowly and…

The door was suddenly opened in one swing, making both teens step back in surprise. Kamijou blinked, eyes widened as he recognized the person in front of them, a blonde girl he had never imagined he would see today.

Before him was Shokuhou Misaki, the level 5 known as Mental Out.

"Misak- I mean, Shoukuhou-san! What the hell are you doing here!?"

"I finally found you, Touma-chan~," Without a warning, the blonde voluptuous girl jumped to him, enveloping Kamijou as she laughed heartily. "I was looking for you my dear Touma-chan. When I heard of the incident in that school, I almost died of worry!"

It didn't make any sense. How come Misaki was here? How come she knew he was here? The boy didn't even know this area as it was his first time coming to the district 22. Even his reasons and means for being here were… not normal.

Not only Kamijou was shocked by the unexpected meeting but also Saten, who looked in surprise at the blond hugging him.

"You are… the head of the biggest clique of the Tokiwadai…"

Shokuhou blinked, and moved her gaze to the girl standing behind Kamijou, her starry gold eyes narrowing upon recognizing her.

"Aren't you a friend of that irritating girl, the Railgun?" The blonde asked, pushing her voluptuous chest towards the face of the nervous boy. "Why are you here?"

"Um… well… I…"

Shokuhou pulled her body back and tried to open her purse but a firm hand stopped her.

"I hope you are not thinking about using your power with my friend," His tone sounded like a scolding, his expression of disapproval clear on his face. "…Shokuhou-san…"

The Level 5 blinked in surprise at Kamijou's undertone, startled by his sudden change of demeanour. This boy didn't really need any sort of mental ability to read her as he had seen completely through her just now.

"I…" The blond sighed. "I'm sorry… I don't want Touma-chan to get madder."

"Then you know what you must not do…"

As Shokuhou nodded, Saten couldn't help herself feeling uncomfortable. Despite how Kamijou was treating the blonde, Saten could tell that both were really close… maybe too close for her liking… Just how much time both know each other?

And how come a boy like Kamijou, not that she was judging him but still, knew and was so close to the Queen of Tokiwadai? An ojou with so much influence and power, and most importantly, the fifth strongest esper… this situation was just odd.

"Umm…" Saten's voice earned the attention of the 'couple' again. "So you do know Misaka-san…"

"Yes, I know her…" The blonde averted her gaze briefly, sporting a displeased expression. "Unfortunately…"

Kamijou blinked, he knew that Misaki did not get along with Biri Biri, though the few times he talked to her before that **incident** occurred, she spend half of the time complaining how irritating was the Railgun. It was amusing, honestly.

"That is not important right now, we can chat latter when we are out of here," The boy urged as he walked towards the opened door, scanning the area outside. "Before asking anything, we need to get out of her-"

Kamijou stopped his mouth when two mans that wore a uniform came into his vision. Both carrying assault rifles and standing still just by the side of the entrance of the stairs.

"Oh, don't mind them Touma-chan. These kind misters were escorting me~."

Kamijou neared them to inspect their eyes as he suspected they were under her control, but the googles they wore didn't let him see them. Saten observed him curiously as she wondered what the pointy-haired boy was trying to do.

"Well, Touma-chan… they are…"

"Being controlled…" The boy finished and sighed. "I guess this couldn't be avoided, at least you only controlled them to make them protect you."

Shokuhou smiled nervously, a drop of sweat on her forehead. She was rather surprised to find that her special person, although mad at her, still worried about her safety, which made her truly happy.

"I assume they are from Anti-skill…" Saten commented. "So you are using your super abilities to control them mentally?" Asked the girl with a bit of excitement.

The blond turned her head a bit, her starry eyes looking at the level 0 with annoyance. Saten could only blink and get nervous at such gaze, that blond was after all a level 5 telepath that could very well destroy her mind if she decided to.

Her fear was not unfounded.

"I won't do anything with you but please, refrain from talking to me," Shokuhou retorted. "Any friend of the annoying Railgun is not someone I would like to direct any word to."

As Kamijou expected, a frown formed on the face of the Sakugawa level 0, which he chose to ignore for the time being as there were more important matters at hand.

"Anyway, do you know what's happening?" Kamijou asked to the blond as they walked across the seemingly empty streets of the underground level 3 of District 22, followed by the two Anti-skill members controlled by Mental out.

"I haven't read your mind, so not much," Shokuhou replied. "My network informed me that almost all riots have been controlled," She suddenly grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him closer. "And… well, someone from my clique spotted you getting on that van, so she followed you all the way here."

Kamijou snorted, "They informed you that I was here? How fast does your network operate for real?" He sweat dropped. "You aren't stalking me with them, are you?"

The boy stopped, staring at her inquisitively, causing her to get rather nervous, while Saten seemingly decided to remain some steps behind them in silence. The distant sounds of gunfire and occasional explosions were becoming louder, which could only mean that they were getting close to the danger zone.

"Nope," She winked playfully, "Though that probably is a good idea~"

"Don't even think about it!"

**o-0-O-0-o**

"This is odd… I can't contact my network…"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 01

* * *

Kamijou raised an eyebrow when Shokuhou muttered that, noticing her frown. As far as he knew, every girl on her clique was always attentive of anything that their Queen would need, if not, then something was wrong.

"Since when?" The spiky-haired boy inquired.

The blonde kept her gaze on her cell, musing profoundly before answering, "A couple of hours ago, though I imagined it was due to an interference in the communications system, but the signal is working again, so I don't understand why they won't answer..." Shokuhou pocketed her tiny device and looked at the boy. "Could it be due to the school riots?"

"The school riots are the least of our problems," Kamijou retorted as the trio of students accompanied by two controlled agents of order waited for the elevator to reach floor one in order to leave the Underground facilities. "A massive destruction weapon has been stolen from one of the storages in the deepest levels by some dudes from a group called PURE."

Saten widened her gaze, wondering how that happened. It must have occurred when Kamijou left by his own.

"Seriously?" The blonde blinked. "That's why you were here?"

"We followed them and I ended up discovering AUTO, a massive robotic-like weapon. They let me go as I was not in any way an obstacle to their plans, thankfully… but I have seen it… It was enormous machine and it used a green laser to open several holes through each level."

"A green laser…?" Metal-Out put a hand under her chin, musing a bit. "Could it be that this weapon managed to replicate the Meltdowner beams?"

The boy blinked. Meltdowner she said, like the fourth strongest level 5 called by that nick, but that couldn't be, right? A machine that replicated the abilities of a level 5? That was just unbelievable, if not outright insane. He also hadn't the privilege of meeting Meltdowner, but rumors said that she was a beautiful young woman. Kamijou hoped that she was not as crazy as the Railgun, Misaka Mikoto.

"Are you kidding?" Saten commented is surprise. "To do something like that would be like… super awesome!" Kamijou smiled at her excitement, but soon shook off that smile as he contemplated the implications brought by the level 5.

If AUTO possessed the powers of a level 5, then this problem was far dangerous than he first imagined. It was obvious why the leader of PURE, Akumi Tatsuo, would try create such chaos across the city to weaken the security and divert everyone's attention from that storage room. Now that he controlled AUTO, Kamijou feared the worst.

"Anyhow, the authorities must be aware of what happened already, so our best choice is to search for a safe spot until Anti-skill takes care of this treat," Shokuhou advised, sporting a worried expression.

The pointy-haired teen shook his head, "Not me, I need to go somewhere else. My teacher and trainer maybe worried about me so I have to tell them that I'm fine," Kamijou pulled out his cell, noticing that it still didn't work. "Damnit…"

A peep sound came from Shokuhou's purse, from her cell in fact. She suspired in relief when she read it was from her closest friend in the clique, yet when she opened the message, a shocked expression invaded her face, a trail of sweat on her forehead.

Both Kamijou and Saten observed her in expectation due her abrupt change of demeanour, because the blond became totally speechless…

"What's going on?"

Shokuhou Misaki took several seconds to respond.

"…The School Garden has been taken by Skill-Out."

**Part 3**

"This is outrageous! How come there are no stores open!" Index shouted in exasperation. "This was supposed to be a city with technology far more advanced than any other in the world and there are simply no stores open in the night? Such an underdeveloped city!"

Kongou Mitsuko sighed, resting both hands on her hip. This was like the ninth time she complained, and the worst was that the starving nun has not gave up yet on finding a place where they could buy food to calm her hunger. Seriously, how come such a petit girl like her ate so much?

"You can't call that underdevelopment, Index-san. It's only normal that stores are closed at this hour, not to mention the school riots occurring across the city," The level 4 esper tried to reason with her, yet she knew that it would be futile. "It's really late, we should return."

"But…. Bwahh! My stomach hurts! I won't survive this night if I don't get somet-"

*Sniff Sniff*

Kongou blinked, directing her eyes to her side. A school girl with dark long blue hair was extending a piece of bread to the foreign girl, which she did not recognize, nor the uniform she wore.

"Have this…" The girl smiled. "I have here more than enough so you can have some."

"Really!?" Stars appeared on Index's eyes as she clutched the unknown girl by her shoulders. "I can't thank you enough!" With that, she grabbed the bread and began to eat it as if she had not eaten in days.

Kongou sighed, approaching the pair, "I'm sorry for this but when she gets hungry, no one can't stop her from complaining… I also appreciate your kindness…" The black-haired ojou bowed respectfully to Index's savior. "May I have your name, miss?"

The bluehead was seemingly startled, but them flashed a smile, "Sure, I'm Maki Tomoko. Don't worry about the food; I just happened to find bakery opened. I was feeling hungry, too, so I can understand her."

"Well, thank you very much again," Kongou smiled too. "My name is Kongou Mitsuko, and this rude and disrespectful girl…" She shot Index a glare, which was ignored as the nun continued to dig in in the food. "…Is called Index."

"Nice to meet you, Kongou-san, Index-san," Maki replied. "It's a pleasure."

Kongou was a bit impressed by her politeness, which was to be expected from girls that belonged to the 5 most prestigious schools in Academy City, maybe Maki attended a high-class school she did not know about. Suddenly, the nun spoke with pieces of bread still being filled into her mouth.

"Nife to weet fu, Domodo!" The silvery white-haired girl received more glares from Aero Hand, but as she had done so far, the nun ignored them as she expressed her gratitude. "Wis is dasdy! Banks!"

"It's anpan, and I agree with you. It's tasty," Maki smiled sheepishly. "I heard some people can get obsessed with it, but it's hard to believe."

The Tokiwadai ojou put a hand on her cheek, "If there is someone to get obsessed with food, then that would be her…" The newcomer giggled, eyeing the nun. "So, Maki-san, it's late so I'm gonna take her to my dorm. Again, thanks for your kindness."

"Don't worry about it, she is a cute girl," Maki patted the head of the nun. "I'll be going too. I don't want to get int-" The bluehead stopped abruptly, eyes broadening. "Watch out!"

Maki pulled Kongou, both falling to the ground harshly. Index remained stunned as a bullet traversed through the spot where Kongou once stood. The nun turned to see four men using military gray suits approaching their location.

"Kongou-san, Kongou-san! Are you alright!?" Maki rose from the ground, checking for any injury on the level 4 esper. Thankfully, there was none.

"Was that a gunshot?" Kongou asked in fear but suddenly, both her and Maki were dragged by the foreigner in their group by their hands. "Index-san? What are you-?"

"They are dangerous people coming for us! We need to run!"

As the two students were pulled by the nun, they eventually reached a corner as more bullets impacted on the walls. Kongou could not fathom what was occurring, but those uniformed people were trying to kill them for real, and she had no idea why.

"What's going on?" The Tokiwadai girl asked in shock as they hid behind some trash containers inside an alley. "Who are they, and more importantly, why are they trying to kill us!?"

The nun looked over the container and quickly pulled her head down as the attackers passed through the street before stopping. They carried assault rifles and gas masks that hid their faces, which made them look intimidating.

"Where did those damn brats go?" One of them said, irritated. "I should have hit them."

Another of his companions scanned the area and returned to him. "There is no blood around so no. What were you thinking dude? We were supposed to bring the Tokiwadai brat with us, not kill her! I'm glad your aim sucked!"

"I fucking hate ojous, bro! I don't give a shit if she will make us earn money. This is my chance to kill one of those bitches."

"Man, the boss is gonna have your ass handed to you if you kill her. Remember she is the daughter of the Executive of the Kongou Airlines. We need her alive if we are to ransom money from that dude," The man sighed. "When AUTO is recovered successfully and we leave Japan, we are gonna need money to invade England, and kill that bitch, Laura Stuart. So save your anger for her, man."

"Can you two stop talking bullshit?" The third man of the approached them. "Not to mention that you are revealing our plans, smartass! If someone hears you, then you would be so screwed. Get your asses moving and find those brats."

Six pairs of eyes observed them go away, widened eyes in fact. Something far more dangerous was occurring in the city, and the worst was that they wanted to abduct Kongou Mitsuko. Whoever was behind this was planning something chaotic.

"T-they want me?" Kongou muttered to herself in fear. "I-I…"

"Get a hold of yourself, Mitsuko!" The nun displayed resolution, and it startled Kongou because she didn't seem to be scared by the situation they found stuck into. "We have to find the authorities…"

"Don't worry, I just contacted them," Maki suddenly commented, ending the call on her pink phone. "They should be here soon, but meanwhile, let's take down those three before they find us."

"Are you out of your mind?" Kongou barked in utter shock. "They carry fire weapons! We can't just face them unless you want to get killed! And I certainly don't want to be used as some sort of object to be exchanged for money either!"

Index sat on the cold floor, resting her back on the equally cold wall by her side, "I think Tomoko is correct. If we just wait for the police to arrive, those scary guys could find us before the police do. The question is how…?"

Maki glanced at the ojou, "What is your ability? Your level?" The bluehead neared her. "Tell me so I can formulate a plan."

"Are we doing this for real…?" Suddenly, a certain spiky-haired boy popped out in Kongou's mind. "Such misfortune…" The girl muttered the very same words as him and secretly wished he was here.

**Part 4**

"Why are we hiding? Aren't them from Anti-skill? They have captured the members of that organization so why are we…?"

Shokuhou Misaki raised one finger to her mouth to silence Saten as they remained behind some vehicles parked by the parking lot in the first level of district 22. The trio could see why the gunfire had come to an end as several of PURE's members had been disarmed and were kneeling with both hands behind their heads.

Kamijou observed with anxiousness as he had chosen to avoid meeting the authorities. If they were found by them, they would probably be sent to their quarters, and that was out of the question. Not to mention that their uniforms were different from the ones of Anti-skill, making Kamijou suspicious.

They carried some sort of bags and used helmets, and he couldn't see anywhere the symbol that marked them as agents of Anti-skill. Yet, they had reduced almost all of the members of PURE that Kamijou saw before AUTO was activated. Unlike the two controlled men that were commanded by the level 5 to return to the third floor of the underground complex, these people gave the boy a bad vibe.

It was worth mentioning that the ground was wet as they were almost discovered by the splashing of water when they run behind the van.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 01

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 02

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Soon, a large quadruped mecha with a big sphere in the middle moved across the shadows of the parking lot, which brought shivers to not only him but Saten and Shokuhou, both grabbing his shirt in fear. A tentacle-like appendage protruded from each side of its main body as the scary looking machine moved towards one of the armed members.

"Are these all of them?" The man inquired, his stance firm.

"Yes, sir. At least the trash that is alive," Was the response of the other, earning a scowl from the male student. "Should we begin the purge, sergeant Nishio?"

"Purge?" Kamijou whispered. "What does he mean by…"

"Proceed."

"For Justice!" The armed group shouted in unison.

Without further warning, every armed agent pointed their assault rifles to the captured members and shot them at point blank range, much to the teens' horror. Kamijou gritted his teeth, a feral expression emerging as he stood up, yet both Saten and Shokuhou did their best and pulled him down.

"There is nothing you can do, Touma-chan…" The blond whispered desperately. "Even if I tried to use my ability on them, that machine has an IA and would probably attack us."

"But they were unarmed…" The boy growled furiously. "There was no need to kill them, damnit…" He made a fist, his knuckles becoming white. "Weren't they supposed to be the police?"

Saten bit her lip as she gazed at the enraged teen, startled. She knew that being there and not be able to do anything made him feel powerless and mad, but who would have expected that they would kill the captured people without any mercy.

"Sadly…" Mental Out began. "They are a cooperative organization of Anti-skill, though only by paper. This secret society is called DA, Disciplinary Action."

"Disciplinary Action?" Kamijou could not believe it. An organization that would kill in cold blood, and what was worse, an organization that would kill unarmed people in the name of justice! "This is so wrong…"

Soon the bodies of all the fallen terrorists were put one by one inside their vans as the scary machine left the parking lot as it followed the vehicle that **Nishio**, agent of **Disciplinary Action**, drove. Minutes passed as all DA forces left the area.

Saten was scared, and the level 5 was on an equal level as her. However, what truly worried her was the boy that simply said no more and remained sat on the ground, his hair covering his gaze. It affected him more than she had imagined.

"K-Kamijou-kun…" The female level 0 addressed him. "They are gone…"

Kamijou gave no response, only stood up and walked to where the piles of corpses were once. Looking at the wet ground, dirt and water mixed with the pool of blood as Kamijou stood there immobile for several seconds.

Shokuhou Misaki had never seen him like this, even after all those things they went through together, this was the first time that Kamijou's exuded such a strong killing intent to the point that she could not recognize him anymore.

However, that ended abruptly as he sighed wearily.

"We can't afford to waste any more time," He said, raising his gaze. "I'm gonna have a talk with Yomikawa and Tsukino after this. If they know about the affiliation of this group to Anti-skill, then I'm over with them."

The boy turned to them, startling both girls. His eyes showed something that was unnatural seeing in his persona, it was if they displayed a mix of resolution, ire and realization. It was true that his current expression was intimidating, but the girls before him were simply fascinated by it, yet they couldn't explain why.

"Let's move," Kamijou Touma commanded with a serious expression.

**Part 5**

"Touma!"

A certain spiky-haired boy gazed blankly at the busty woman that got out of a van of Anti-skill, followed by the legend of Anti-skill. The female level 0 and level 5 observed in awe and the reaction of the woman upon seeing Kamijou Touma.

The woman soon reached the boy and enveloped him in a tight hug, much to Saten and Shokuhou's surprise, and maybe irritation, mostly the latter. Even Tsukino raised an eyebrow at such display of affection from the woman.

"You are fine!" She checked him from top to bottom to find any possible injury but strong hands stopped her. Only then, Yomikawa noticed the serious expression he sported and was taken aback. "T-Touma?"

"Touma…?" The blond repeated under her breath, irking an eyebrow as she realized how close they were as she called him by his name, just like Shokuhou did. Even if she was his teacher, she just couldn't address him like that!

"Sensei…" He said with utter coldness. "Do you know what is Disciplinary Action?" Then looked at Tsukino. "Do you know?"

Both Anti-skill members were startled by Kamijou's sudden question, but ever more by his icy expression, quite unusual to be seen in someone like him. The woman had a bad feeling about this.

"Yes… DA is a cooperative organization within Anti-Skill," She replied with uncertainty. "Though I have never worked with them despite their affiliation to us, I heard they take orders directly from the higher-ups… What about them…? Have you met them?"

Kaimijou nodded, yet gave no reply as he walked to Tsukino.

"Do you know anything else?" His sharp tone made the white-haired girl blink. "Speak, Tsukino. Do you know anything else?"

She remained silent, formulating her response. She had not been intimidated by anyone since she met the Strongest esper of Academy City some months ago, yet this boy, who held no fearsome power, made her feel nervous with his penetrating gaze alone.

"What are you implying, Kamijou-kun?" She furrowed her brows, folding her arms. "What happened in the Underground complex?"

The boy raised his head slightly, cold eyes studying her face for some seconds.

"Nothing…" Kamijou muttered and turned around. "Only that some sort of machine had been stolen from a storage room in the deepest levels by PURE, and DA attacked them. Though they still managed to escape with that thing they called… AUTO."

Yomikawa blinked as she had no idea what AUTO was, while Tsukino frowned. Both female students behind the boy wondered why he hid the fact that DA killed mercilessly the captured members of PURE, yet they chose to respect his decision and refrained from commenting about the violent incident.

More agents of order soon spread across the area with the aim of securing the area, and subsequently, advanced to the Underground complex.

"AUTO…? Is it a weapon or something like that?" Yomikawa inquired, turning her attention from the boy to her fellow agent. "Yui?"

The girl sighed, resting both hands over her hip.

"We don't have much time to talk if what you say is true. Where is DA? Are they inside the facilities?"

"I don't know. We just saw them leave while we were hiding."

Tsukino looked at him suspiciously until she noticed the blond some steps behind him. She had never imagined that another of the level 5s was a friend of his trainee, who she hadn't met personally, only read her profile in the database.

"I see you are in very good company," Eyeing the blond, Tsukino smirked before looking at the other girl. "Good to see you again… Saten was it?"

Saten nodded, while Shokuhou resisted the urge of using her powers on both Anti-Skill agents. Kamijou remained indifferent, observing them carefully.

"The School Garden was intruded by Skill-Out, too," The boy informed.

Tsukino glanced at Kamijou, "We know that too… Things are getting out of hand, it seems," She opened her cell and marked a certain number. "It's Yui… yes, we are on our way. Wait until we arrive," She ended the call and moved to the van. "We are going to the School Garden."

Yomikawa glanced at his student, who seemed to be acting weird; however, the city was in chaos, so her worries needed to wait. She will have time then to speak with him and discover why he was acting like this.

The boy observed Saten enter the vehicle after Shokuhou and the others as he narrowed his gaze. Tsukino was hiding something, and it was probably related to DA. In conclusion, Tsukino was not someone he could trust as she wasn't being honest with him.

Kamijou darkened his gaze and moved forward.

**Part 6**

The sky was pitch-black, and the city lights flickered through the most secluded areas of district 7. Despite the late hour, several squads of the law enforcer agencies had their hands full with transporting, evacuating, and preparing for the oncoming battle with the terrorist forces of PURE in another district.

Yet, many squads had been deployed to secure the area around School Garden, a large area composed of five elite schools for girls, high-classy establishments meant for their female population and such.

Most residents in School Garden were students with wealthy upbringings, allowing them to afford the expensive schools located in this area, not to mention that a high percentage of the student body was at least level 3 or higher. Accordingly to the importance and rules of this area, all students and the staff were female as any male individual was not allowed inside School Garden's perimeter.

However, this barricaded area had been intruded by several Skill-Out factions within the city, using unknown technology to nullify or weaken all esper abilities inside the facilities. By using non-conventional weapons such as collapsible large blades, batons and guns, the intruders had managed to break through the weakened security in the area, caused by the dispersion of AC forces to control the student revolts.

All security devices had been jammed, rendering all 2450 security cameras spread in the streets and establishment non-functional. Also, all defensive bots were deactivated.

Yomikawa Aiho knew that Skill-Out capabilities were low, which proved that they were being supported by an unknown faction that had granted them the necessary devices to force their way into School Garden and get a hold of it.

All 8 entrances used by the students were being guarded by members of the armed group, while the hostages, the students and staff, were being held inside the schools according to the images supplied by the satellite Orihime 1, which sent information to the super computer, **Tree Diagram**.

Two Skill-Out gangs had been identified. **Red Falcon** and **Acid Snake**, which were rather large groups within Skill-Out, though it was still unknown who was the mastermind behind the attack, because frankly speaking, most of these gangs were just not capable enough to pull such a scheme by themselves unless they were directed by someone with vast resources and influence.

A group stood by the northeast entrance of School Garden, in which Kamijou's group was gathered. Even to this moment, Kamijou was not at ease, not after witnessing such an atrocious act committed in front of his very own eyes.

He would not forget it.

Since they arrived, a message from Skill-Out was sent over and over to the authorities stationed around the perimeter though megaphones.

"**This is a warning. We are in control of the facilities, so any intrusion will not be allowed. Do not try to enter by any mean or we will be forced to kill the hostages one by one. I repeat, do not try to enter or we will kill the hostages.**"

Certainly, things were not looking good.

"This is unbelievable! How come they took over this place so easily? I mean, this is the School Garden, right? One of the most important areas of the city, right?" Saten exclaimed in disbelief. "Shouldn't the security have been tighter?"

She was by all means correct.

"It should have, if not for the fact that almost all man power have been spread across the city to deal with the school revolts," Yomikawa answered, sighing. "It can't be a coincidence that Skill-Out attacked this area during the school revolution. Someone had planned this carefully… no to mention the theft of AUTO."

"Well, this will be quite complicated," Commented Tsukino as she examined the detailed map of School Garden. "Basically, if we make a move, the hostages are dead. To think some gangs of Skill-Out would go this far."

As the agents of Anti-skill continued to exchange data about the current events, a certain Mental Out tried to contact her network, only to fail again, much to her irritation. She also had a bad feeling building up inside her, as if something was near. Suddenly, events of the past popped up in her mind, events that involved the spiky-haired boy near her and a certain girl, whose ability was **Malicious Fake**, which allowed her to control computers and all sort of machines at will. Such a troublesome ability it was.

Shokuhou felt restless, which was actually rare to occur in her. However, that made her remember something that would be of great relevance to the current situation.

"I think they are using Capacity Down to compromise all esper abilities in School Garden," The blonde informed, unsure of her conclusion.

"Wasn't that technology still under development?" Yomikawa inquired, the boy with spiky-hair attentive of the revealed information, yet he remained silent. "How come they could get their hands on this technology?"

Tsukino frowned slightly, her brain working up to recall anything useful, "Bites me, but now that mentioned it, we are gonna have to contact Therestina Kihara Lifeline to find out what happened with her Anti-esper experiment."

"So that rumor was true. People were developing technology that would allow Anti-Skill to handle espers…" Saten said with interest. "But it would make sense, isn't it? How they managed to defeat all the espers in the School Garden with such ease."

An army of espers, which would normally be something impossible to overcome with normal weaponry and strategy, yet School Garden was captured despite holding most of the high level espers within the city. A device that could cripple the performance of esper abilities would certainly explain the lack of resistance in this area.

**Capacity Down**, to recall that dreadful name, which caused the blonde only suffering due to it making her lose control of her abilities in the past. She was regretful of what occurred, despite not being her direct fault, Shokuhou still felt repent, because the most important person to her resulted injured.

"I'm gonna contact Therestina, meanwhile, keep the perimeter in check. They will probably make their demands eventually," Tsukino spun around only to see the Ace of Tokiwadai approaching with a small group. "Oh?"

"What is going on?" Misaka Mikoto, alongside Shirai Kuroko, Konori Mii, Awatsuki Maaya and many members of Judgement approached Kamijou's group with hurried steps. "So it was true? School Garden had fallen? This is ridiculous!" She glanced at Kamijou. "You are here too?"

Tsukino was startled again, if only because of another level 5 approaching the boy and talking to him as if they were friends. It seemed that this boy tended to attract a lot of powerful people, not to mention that most of them were girls… It was an interesting piece of information to notice.

"It is indeed," Yomikawa frowned, trying to formulate a plan. "We'll wait for their demands until we find the best course of action. We can't put the hostages at risk."

The Anti-skill members were feeling restless. To attack and take over School Garden was not plausible, even if most security and the military forces were dispatched to other districts. This area was full of cutting edge technology not allowed outside the schools, and facilities and budgets to protect it.

Even if the espers were neutralized, they would be more than enough security systems to prevent such sort of treats… This could only mean something of real worry.

What if… someone inside School Garden allowed such to occur, or helped Skill-Out take over the facilities? If they managed to get their hands on technology such as Capacity Down, not to mention the jammers they used to disable all communications and security systems in the area, then it would be logical that someone of power was the true mastermind behind this attack.

"Maybe if I infiltrated the facilities…" Shirai suggested, resting her hands on her hip. "I could…"

Tsukino shook her head, glancing at the green armband of the level 4 teleporter, as well as the one of Konori, also noticing that the Railgun didn't carry one.

"Judgement, huh? I assume that you are the teleporter from the 177 branch, ain't it?"

"Yes, miss…?" Shirai hesitated, however slightly, waiting for the white-haired girl to continue and yet, got no response. "I'm afraid that we haven't met yet."

The legend of Anti-Skill smirked, "Well for my part, I do know your entire branch. Shirai Kuroko, Konori Mii, Awatsuki Maaya, Yanagisako Aomi, Uiharu Kazari…"

It was in that moment when Misaka and the Judgment girls darkened their gazes, which was noticed by the male in the group. Something bad happened, and the boy feared it was related to the hacker in their branch.

"Did something happen on your end?" Kamijou finally spoke, unnaturally serious. "I lost contact with Uiharu a while ago… Misaka, what happened?"

His sharp voice made the level 5 flinch, and alerted him even more, "It's that… someone had attacked our branch building, where we only found Uiharu's cell. She and the others with her had been kidnapped…"

"N-no way…" Saten stuttered in shock, Kamijou on the other hand widened his eyes in ire. "Uiharu… This can't be…"

"But the other branches are searching for any lead to may help us find her and the others," Shirai added with notorious worry in her features. "Meanwhile, we were told that School Garden had been invaded, so here we are…"

The boy shut his eyes, breathing deeply. This was bad, AUTO was gone, School Garden was under the control of Skill-Out, and Uiharu and other members of Judgment were apparently abducted. The riots were just the start of chaos, it seemed.

"What are we going to do now…?" Awatsuki dropped her gaze, "Wannai was inside the Tokiwadai School…"

Kamijou opened his eyes, a sense of defeat clouding his mind.

"Then we will begin from what we can solve."

A new voice came from somewhere, the shadows that crept from the black night hiding the figure of a person standing by some threes near the walkway in from of the main entrance of School Garden. His voice caused Yomikawa to frown visibly.

Soon, three men walked out of the trees cloaked by the darkness of the night, the city lights finally illuminating them as all Anti-skill squads suddenly aimed the assault rifles to the new group in the area. The three men were considered criminals, yet they walked right into them without a care in the world.

**Komaba Ritoku**, **Hamazura Shiage** and **Hattori Hanzo**, members of the largest faction of Skill-Out advanced with strong steps to the agents of order, unperturbed by the weapons aimed to their heads. The ninja of the Hattori clan spoke again, Yomikawa narrowing her gaze.

"No need get alarmed, we are here to help you… help us," Hanzou smiled confidently, gaze focused on the busty woman. "We came to offer you a solution for the ojou abduction thing."

"Taichou, this is our chance to capture them!" An agent of Anti-skill shouted, taking a few wary steps to them, weapon pointing the delinquent's skulls. "They must be…"

"We just came here to give ya guys a hand, but that doesn't mean we will let you capture our asses so easily," The dirty blond boy spoke, grinning as a massive group of men that carried batons, chains and metal bars appeared from the shadows. Kamijou's group tensed upon that for most than obvious reasons. "So you see, we are prepared for whatever happens now, whether is to take back the School Garden from that trash or get the fuck outta here."

Yomikawa blinked, as did Tsukino and the others. Kamijou could see what they were trying to do. During his continuous chases and fights with many Skill-Out members, Kamijou had learnt something from them.

There was some sort of code of honor between the many factions that composed Skill-Out. Ridiculous as it was, the pointy-haired teen had realized that they strived to increase their popularity in order to earn more respect and help from those with resources. Earning more members and increasing their areas of operation were their goals.

Yes, most were delinquents, but Kamijou had read in many forums on the internet that the group of the man that he had met recently in a maid café truly did good for the city, despite their attacks on espers, which by the way, misused their abilities.

In the end, all were rumors and gossip, so the boy decided to take this chance to see if they truly fought for the rights of those labelled zeroes. Suddenly, Kamijou recalled a certain event as he pocketed out a cell he found abandoned in the empty storage where AUTO was once kept. He then walked in silence away from the group for some privacy.

Meanwhile, the heated discussion continued.

"Take back School Garden?" Yomikawa questioned in suspicion. "You are telling me that you are not related in any way to those two groups then?" Some mocking chuckles erupted among Komaba's group as several sparks began to appear from a certain level 5. "You can't expect us to believe that."

"…Think what you will…" Finally, the imposing leader of the gang spoke, Komaba Ritoku. "…We are here to handle those two troublesome groups. We can't allow them to rise to power or our operations could get compromised…" He stated firmly, both Hamazura and Hanzou nodding in agreement. "…That is all there is to it…"

The Ninja smirked, folding his arms as he stepped forward, "If kicking them out of School Garden will stop them from getting reputation, then it's worth the shot. As leader Komaba said, that is all there is to it, though if that gave me some points with you, Yomikawa-san…" Hattori chuckled, the busty woman glancing at a certain unfortunate boy that raised an eyebrow in bewilderment due to the ninja's last comment.

"This is stupid," Misaka commented loudly as if to herself, yet loud enough to attract everyone's attention. "How are we supposed to trust the lives of our espers to a group whose primary goal was to attack and cause harm to them in the first place? You think we are stupid? Many of my friends are in danger and I will not allow you to-"

"Tch. Who is that flat-chested brat?" A tick mark appeared over the Railgun's head as the Hattori's heir tsked in mild irritation. "No offense ojou, but you should let the big guys handle this. Go home somewhere else to play with your dolls."

The electromaster gritted her teeth in anger at such scornful way of referring to her. Shirai was obviously angered as well, glaring daggers at the delinquent that wore a black bandana, but a calming hand was placed over her shoulder, which belonged to her superior, Konori Mii.

"Why don't just explain your intentions? You are wasting valuable time," Konori adjusted her glasses, gaze sharp.

"Konori-sempai! You can't possibly think-"

"Let them talk," Tsukino interrupted her. "Maybe they could prove useful in this circumstances," The white-haired agent turned to Komaba. "How are you going to take School Garden without risking the life of the hostages?"

"…You'll see…"

Kamijou Touma, having ended a call, stepped forward and stood between both the police and the gang, his gaze hidden under his pointy-hair. Every person tensed, even his trainer as the boy emanated an frightening aura, though it caused Komaba to smirk in amusement.

"I'll go with you," Kamijou stated with conviction, raising a sharp gaze to the leader of Skill-Out. "If you are going to take back School Garden, I'll go too."

"…I don't have any problem if you come with us, kid…" Komaba replied offhandedly. The two by his side startled, as Hamazura let out a sigh, facepalming.

"I don't think bringing him is a good idea. Who is this guy again?"

Tsukino Yui stood by Kamijou's side, tapping the floor hurriedly.

"He is my trainee, Kamijou Touma. The most promising boy I have ever met. My only condition to allow you to take back School Garden is to let him go with you."

Kamijou shifted slightly, raising an eyebrow, yet his serious expression prevailed. It doesn't matter to him what she said, Tsukino was not being honest so he could not trust her anymore. Considering the current events, his trainee didn't need to know that yet, but the boy had decided to confront her when all of this ended.

"How can we know that when you take down those factions, you won't claim School Garden for yourselves?" Asked Misaka Mikoto, aggressively nearing them. It was just absurd to trust these people, so she had to make sure of their true intentions.

"…You don't know, but we are your best choice. If we take down those troublesome factions, then you will have School Garden back and I'll have two less troublesome gangs to worry about. Everyone wins…" Komaba moved forward, his large group following suit. "…Once we are over, we'll simply leave…"

"And don't try to catch us by then, because," Hamazura grinned. "We have the protection of one of the higher ups. We forgot to mention that, hahaha!"

Komaba Ritoku sighed, that stupid Hamazura shouldn't had reveal that piece of information. There was no use complaining though, at least now, Anti-Skill would not be a treat to them anymore. He took out his phone and called a certain number. After that, Tsukino and Yomikawa took out their communications devices to answer a call of their superiors.

Minutes passed and Tsukino spoke.

"Well, it seems they are right. Even if we wanted to, we can't arrest them. I don't know with who they are working, but Komaba's group is indeed protected. Our only order is to keep the perimeter in check while they do their job."

Kamijou observed the busty woman. She looked defeated as he could imagine how impotent Yomikawa felt because her hands had been tied by her own superiors. The boy realized that those with power within the city could ignore the laws, allowing organizations such as DA and this faction of Skill-Out to break them.

The ninja neared Kamijou, and a jacket was thrown to the unfortunate teen.

"Use that," Hanzou sniffed. "You better get seen as one of us if you are coming. Just know that we won't watch your ass. Once inside, you're on your own."

Again, the boy Yomikawa cared for was going to the fray. She felt like refusing to let him go again to face danger, she felt scared to death when he disappeared from the Kaisei High School. Yet, his determined eyes talkled for themselves. No matter what she said, what anyone said, he was going with them.

"I don't know about the rest of you but I trust Touma-chan!" Shokuhou suddenly walked to Kamijou, enveloping one of his arms with her own. "Rest assured that I will…" Killing intent was unexpectedly directed at the leader of Skill-Out, fearsome starry eyes staring at his group. "NOT stay with arms crossed if anyone of you dares to harm him."

Her chest pressed further to the teen's arm, and the boy could only scratch with his free hand his cheek in mild embarrassment. She had not changed at all, even if he was still mad, even if he tried to avoid her, the blond continued to be overprotective of him.

As Mental-Out, she had the power to protect him just fine, Kamijou had to admit it.

Misaka, who just noticed that her rival was there, so close to that idiot, could only gape in utter shock. Shirai, Awatsuki and Konori were equally startled while Yomikawa couldn't help feel irritated upon seeing how close that girl seemed to be to her student.

Kamijou never mentioned that Shokuhou Misaki was a friend of his, a close one at that apparently. The busty woman remained silent, noticing how fast her intimidation worked of most members of Skill-Out.

Hamazura gulped, he didn't know that blonde, but he was sure that she was dangerous. His boss however narrowed both eyes as he sighed.

"…Mental-Out and the Railgun… Two level 5 are gathered here…" He commented loudly, shutting his eyes as he made a thoughtful expression. His subordinates panicked upon hearing him, yet they didn't move, "This could be your chance to catch us for real, but you won't get School Garden back if you do. Luckily, we are also protected…"

"That, we know," Responded Yomiwaka, her voice cold. "I want every hostage alive, you hear me? I will ignore my superior's order if someone gets killed, I warn you."

"Suit yourself woman."

The blonde finally let go of Kamijou as he put on the jacket and nodded to his friends. "I'll be fine so don't worry. I will also take my own group with me…"

Kamijou Touma turned around, to see yet another group of people approaching, in fact, another Skill-Out faction. Everyone tensed in surprise as the boy walked to them, pocketing a device on his hand.

"Glad you could make it in time Aibatsu, we were about to begin," Kamijou shook the hand of the apparent leader of the new group.

"Well aniki, we own ya a favor after all," The yellow-haired guy named **Aibatsu **replied easily. "If not for that hit, me and my group would be in prison right now."

"And what's more important, any fan of Sonico-chan is our pal, so we were not going to leave you hanging," The teen that gave Kamijou the newest album of First Astronomical Velocity spoke in a supermarket some days ago greeted him as well, who called himself **Touya**. "Wait… no way!?"

Touya, and eventually Aibatsu and the others noticed the presence of the mythical Komaba Ritoku, a man that carried the true sense of existence of Skill-Out, the figure they admired.

"I have seen you guys somewhere…" Yomikawa assumed a thoughtful expression as she neared them. She could swear that she had seen some of them not so long ago, yet she couldn't recall entirely when. "Care to tell me what's going on?

"The Zero Hunters…" Shirai muttered, recalling a report she read some days ago.

"Yep, we are the Zero Hunters," Aibatsu confirmed, not the least afraid of the police as they were clean from any crime. "We were called by Aniki to give a hand."

Another Zero Hunter spoke from the crowd behind, "We can't let those rats of Red Falcon get more reputation than us! First death than that!"

"Yeah!/We'll beat those assholes into submission!/Hell Yeah!"

As the roars of the Zero Hunters echoed in the area, Kamijou and Aibatsu approached Komaba and his two subordinates, all amidst the mixed reactions from all who knew Kamijou. No one could imagine why he would be friend of a Skill-Out gang.

"It's an honor to meet you sir!" Aibatsu bowed respectfully, sporting a solemn expression. "I would ask your permission to let the Zero Hunters join yours in this cause."

Hamazura scratched his head in uncertainty, Hattori shrugged his shoulders as Komana remained unmoved and examined the blond guy before him. Kamijou's gaze darted between both gang leaders as they faced each other, he could sense their auras crashing with one another.

"…Hmm… not bad kid," Komaba nodded slightly, he could sense a strong fighting spirit from the boy. "What is your name?"

"I'm called Aibatsu, sir!"

"…Then let's move out…" He glanced at Kamijou briefly, and then at his group. "Stay sharp everyone. This will be tough…"

Komaba's faction, the Zero hunters and Kamijou Touma moved towards the entrance, while Misaka and the others observed in disbelief.

Tsukino threw at Kamijou a stun gun, "Find the jammers and destroy them, if we gain access to the security cameras again, then we will be able to support you. If you take down their respective leaders, the two gangs should surrender, too."

"But they said they would kill the hostages if anyone entered the facilities," Shirai pointed out.

The large man known as Komoba Ritoku came to a halt before speaking.

"…This is Skill-Out matter now, so no matter what happens, refrain from entering School Garden until the hostages are safe, even if it seems that we are winning… or you are going to get them killed," He warned. "Also, to those two factions, I'm not just anyone."

**Part 7**

A large group of Skill-Out entered the School Garden, ignoring the three members of Acid Snake watching that entrance gates, which used baroque colonnades and entablature. Upon seeing Komaba, they gulped and quickly used their walkie talkies, probably to inform their boss. The watchman was not present.

It should be mentioned that many other groups that were part of Komaba's faction made their way inside the facilities through other entrances, with the goal of accelerating the recovery process.

As the group advanced, a certain spiky-haired teen hidden among them scanned carefully the surroundings. More and more people appeared, members of both Red Falcon and Acid Snake, yet they only observed them in silence, gathering into larger groups as Komaba's group furthered into the facilities.

They eventually reached the main streets tessellated in strange designs, Kamijou noticing School Garden's distinct architecture. Cobble-stoned roads, showering fountains in the open squares that were lit by wrought metal lamps, brick and mortar buildings with roofs such as flat types, gables and spires, and their tasteful parapets and the corbels that supported them were of notice to him. Most building had balconies; the windows had metal balusters of arabesque design that surrounded them with awnings above them.

In all, School Garden was not only a treasure trove of important information related to esper abilities development, but it seemed to be another country due to the European-styled architecture. Apparently, to suit the high-class girls tastes, School Garden was modelled after a traditional European City.

_(This place sure is something else…)_

The large group came to a halt when a smaller party approached them, yet in a matter of minutes, Komaba found himself surrounded by many groups of both enemy Skill-Out gangs. Soon, one of them would speak.

"I hope you find my welcoming party to your liking, Komaba Ritoku," Mocked the brow-haired man who was called **Kenshin** inside the Darkness of Academy City, who happened to be the head of the Red Falcon. "I would have never imagined that you of all people would side with the cops. Lucky for those ojous that I respect ya dude, because most of 'em would be dead by now."

"We are not with the shitty cops," Hamazura growled, pointing a bat to him. "I don't give a fuck about them but, you assholes are becoming quite dangerous to the other Skill-Out groups, so we came to kick your asses before that comes to bite us in the ass. Nothing personal… oh wait, in some way it is…"

"Yep, in fact, we've come here to claim School Garden from you," Hanzou soon appeared among the crowd of delinquents, smirking ferociously. "Do whatever you want with the irritating ojous, that doesn't change that we are beating all of ya to a bloody pulp!"

Kamijou narrowed his gaze, hidden beneath the hood of his jacket before glancing at Komaba. The tall man nodded reassuringly, making Kamijou realize that what they were saying was just an act. He hoped the invaders would not become serious about killing the hostages.

"Really…?" Kenshin muttered. "If it's like this, then those bastards of Anti-Skill are using you. Why not join us, Komaba? Our forces together would be unstoppable! Now that School Garden is under our control, we could advance and take over the whole district and then, Academy City itself."

"…I'm not interested in the taking over this city, much less School Garden," Komaba replied strongly, his people readying their weapons as he continued. "The ojous are not a problem for me unless any of 'em misused their abilities and harmed innocent people. But there are many secrets in this area that could be used against innocent people and we won't allow you to find them. Just abandon the area, there is no need for senseless violence."

A short delinquent soon pushed his companions aside, grunting in pain as he limped towards Komaba, who remained impassive upon seeing him. Hamazura and Hanzou knew that man well as he had tried to kill them many times for stealing his already stolen goods from an apparently abandoned storage room. Leader of Acid snake, his subordinates called him **Spade**.

"The fucking ogre is here!?" He spat with clear aggression. "What the fuck is this!?"

"Easy man," Hanzou observed him closely. "We don't need to make this nasty."

Spade carried a large knife attached to the healthy leg, and a gun holster with a semi-automatic pistol, manufactured by a Ukrainian designer by the name of **Fort**. Old it may be, but lighter that its previous model, was a perfect gun for a surprise attack. They had to be careful with him.

"Fuck you, Hattori! Your shitty group is always sticking your ugly noses into my business!" Spade pulled back his short, light green hair, crazed eyes that held a strong killing intent directed at the ninja. "School Garden is mine, as well as all those bitches inside! Get the fuck outta here before I'll kill you all!"

Kamijou tightened his gaze, noticing something abnormal from that man. It was as if Spade restrained himself somehow. By his body language, Kamijou was certain that this man was far more skilled as a combatant than anyone would imagine, and he suspected that limping was feigned.

"There is no way in hell we are leaving if you scumbags don't," Declared the dirty blond boy, raising a hand and motioning it to himself, as if Hamazura challenged him. "If you don't leave, then there is only one thing left to do."

Kenshin glared at them darkly, every armed man at the ready. A huge gang battle was about to start, the only non-delinquent among them tensed in anticipation, but a comforting hand fell on his shoulder.

"We can do this aniki," Aibatsu reassured, Kamijou smiled. "Just don't play Hero and get yourself killed..."

His smile evaporated.

"Aw shut up…" He deadpanned.

Roars among the enemy gangsters erupted suddenly; Kamijou directed his attention back to the bigwigs… It was about to start.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 03

* * *

"It seems we solve our differences today," The head of Red Falcon stated, face bored. "Geez…" He took out his spiked bat from a bag. "I don't think we are ready to take on Komaba yet…" He sighed. "But it's not like we have much of a choice."

"Forget the bitches, let's pound 'em to death!" Spade roared, pulling out his knife. "You are all so fucking dead!"

Hanzou smirked as the bait worked. If they chose to fight them, then the hostages would most likely be less guarded, giving them the chance of rescuing the annoying ojous from them. If that kid from Judgment was as good as that Anti-skill chick said, then he would probably focus on recuing them too.

"Bring it on, punks…" Komaba challenged darkly, his gang and the Zero Hunters moved forward. "Better get rid of the trash sooner than later."

"Likewise," Spade smirked wickedly. "It's about fucking time I take your head Komaba Ritoku! Skill-Out needs true leaders!"

Hattori noticed some Acid Snake members pulling out assault rifles and pistols, and quickly took out from his pocket a tiny grey object, the others near him doing the same. Many of them would get killed unless they got to a safer spot as they were now in an open area where they could get shot easily. A diversion was in order.

"Not so fast pieces of shit!" Hanzou shouted as he and many others dropped the objects they held, which were home-made smoke bombs.

By mixing potassium nitrate and sugar while lightly heating it, they managed to provide themselves their own fuel for these bombs. Only then, the fuel would be put in the canister and ignited to make it work.

The smoke bombs upon hitting the ground began to release white smoke at a fast rate as Komaba's group and the Zero Hunters dispersed, running to take cover from the gunfire as they tore through the invaders. Kamijou dashed to the left, punching every thug that stood on his way.

Soon, Komaba and his subordinates retaliated with their own weapons, a fiery crossfire between both sides beginning.

"That's all you got, little fucks!" Hattori laughed as he shot a guy in the shoulder, taking cover a second later. "I'm disappointed!"

Kamijou entered a narrow alley, observing the gang fight unfold. Things were starting to get really violent as both enemy factions crashed with the ones of Komaba and Aibatsu. The teen couldn't not believe how reckless were the delinquents fighting for such senseless reasons. Reputation, power and apparently pride were at stake rather than controlling School Garden.

Seriously, it was absurd.

However, he had more pressing matters to take care of as were the safety of the hostages and the destruction of the communication jammers. Hell, if he could find the devices that Misaki mentioned that nullified esper abilities, it would make his task easier.

Still, the hostages took priority, and the only way to find out where they being held was to reactivate the security system by destroying the Radio Jammer. He was on his own, but at least, Komaba and his group were taking care of the main invader force.

Kamijou took out his non-functional cell that could not make any call but at least it served him to check the map of School Garden, he was in the northeast area near the **Private Shidarezakura Academy**, zone E to be exact. That ojou school seemed to be the best place to start his search as there were probably hostages being held inside.

Glancing one more time to Komaba and his subordinates together with Aibatsu and the Zero Hunters, Kamijou sighed and finally went further inside the alley. There was no use in staying, he had to use this chance to sneak into that school.

**Part 8**

"Holy shit!" A man screamed before a mighty punch landed on his face, courtesy of a certain Imagine Breaker.

The boy had taken down 4 Skill-Out members near the back entrance of the Shidarezakura Academy, of course, he did without allowing them to contact their comrades. After that he took away their weapons and used his handcuffs to hold their arms attached to a lamppost.

With that out of the way, Kamijou examined the area before proceeding to enter a door, not before examining the watch post that surveyed this back entrance. The camera on the corner ceiling did not work and the watchman was nowhere to be seen.

Inside, a long corridor extended until it ended a large double doors. Kamijou walked warily and opened them slowly, eyeing through tiny gap outside. Another corridor, though it was horizontal to the previous one, held many doors that he could tell that belonged to the staff workers of the academy. Kamijou revised them one by one, yet found nothing of interest.

He moved forward as he examined the details on the walls and windows around. It was absurd the difference between his school and this one. Expensive looking chandeliers hung from the ceilings, the corridors were carpeted… there was this air of luxury all around him, which was honestly unpleasant. He would never understand high-class girls and their tastes.

Probably ojous would only be interested in the bishonen type of guy if it came to love matters, which by the way, tended to be egocentric individuals. This was indeed an alien world where nothing made sense to him, and honestly, he was not interested in knowing it either, even if he had the chance to.

After exiting another door, a large campus came into sight that was seemingly designed to look a European-like street. In the middle was a gathering of Skill-Out members surrounding a group of female students sat on the ground, they were tied by the their arms and legs.

Kamijou hid behind a column and waited. Closing his eyes, the boy focused on his surroundings and eventually, their voices reached his earshot.

"-telling you that we should fuck 'em, dude! Even if we remove the ropes, they can't move and they won't resist!"

Kamijou darkened his gaze.

"Leader Kenshin warned us, dickhead!" A thug retorted to his companion. "If we lay a finger on them, we'll be as good as dead."

"Yeah man, cool down that perverted head of yours," Another one spoke, glancing at the girls on the ground. "Glad we don't have to worry about these chicks as long as Capacity Down is activated. God bless this tech!" He mused a bit, "That… if god existed. Hahaha!"

Laughs erupted among them. Kamijou could hear the soft sobs between their cackle. The girl was incapacitated by that device, and it was worrisome that it would not only interfere with their psychic abilities but also would limit their movement.

_(Wait… I'm an esper too… why I'm not being affected…?)_

"Wouldn't want to imagine if that machine would be turned off…" A thug commented as he realized the killing intent and the deathly glares some of the students were directing at them. "What are you looking at bitch!?"

To Kamijou's ire, the thug kicked the student on the stomach, a yelp came from her as screams and cry erupted from the others. Kamijou gritted his teeth in anger and barely suppressed the uncontrollable desire of showing himself.

_(Damnit! I need to find that emitter…)_

The boy directed his gaze to his side. He would have to leave this group by the time being, he had to explore inside the main building before acting. Leaving that area turned out to be a titanic feet to achieve, that's for sure.

**o-0-O-0-o**

The cafeteria held various hostages, not only students but also teachers and part of the cleaning staff. However, Kamijou continued to move like a shadow as he explored the area, always checking from to time the map so he wouldn't get lost.

As he advanced through the third floor of the school, Kamijou finally found what he was looking for. Inside a class, a man manipulated some sort of device. It was like multiple black boxes put together with many buttons, letters and stuff. It looked a bit complicated to use.

Three Skill-Out members guarded the class as another thug continued to monitor the machine on top of the teachers desk. The students inside remained sat on high quality desks, their faces showed tiredness and discomfort, which was most likely due to Capacity Down.

To his shock, a girl with dark-colored hair and twin tails noticed his presence outside as he peered through a small window in the door. She lowered her gaze as if she didn't saw anything much to his relief.

There were four delinquents. One had a pistol strap attached to his hip and carried a bat. He knew who he had to take down first before fighting the others. Another unexpected thing occurred as he was about to open the door.

The girl that noticed him let her body fall from the desk, earning worried gasps from the other students. By the way it occurred, Kamijou could tell that she did it deliberately… as if to distract the thugs. He did not waste her efforts.

In one swing, the boy opened the doors and quickly stunned the thugs closest to him before kicking the back of another, sending him to crash his face to a wall. Some of the hostages did their best to raise from their sits but Capacity down did not allowed them, but that mattered not, Kamijou moved rapidly to engage with the one manipulating the jamming device.

"What the fuck!?" Pulling out a knife, the Red Falcon member stood up and lunged towards the teen.

Kamijou ducked under the attack and tackled him down, snatching the knife before throwing it to the only one remaining that apparently tried to grab one of the students with the goal using her as a shield. The sharp knife impaled his left leg and made the thug stumble forward as he crashed with one of the desks, both him and the student landing harshly on the ground.

The Taser was used again on both remaining thugs. The girls observed in fear the hooded figure that stood in silence before them. They found themselves at the hands of a new individual that looked quite scary.

Soon, the girl that faked her fall to the ground used the desk to stand up.

"Who…" She began… "Who are you?"

The boy suddenly took out the Skill-Out jacket with one movement and threw over the jamming device. Widened eyes fell on the spiky-haired boy that sported a green armband on his face, the boy smirking confidently.

More gasps were heard, but they were not made out of fear, but hope.

"Judgment?" One of them said.

"A boy… here…?"

Wow, as expected, they all looked like ojous and were hot! Kamijou ignored their overly shocked expressions and spoke strongly. He had to show he could be trusted even if he was a boy inside School Garden.

"There is no need to say who am I, right?" He glanced at his armband. "I'm here to help. I hope all of you cooperate with me if we are to get out of here alive."

They showed fear and uncertainty. That was not what he wanted to get from them.

"Why are you here, mister? Boys are not allowed in School Garden!" One of them growled, much to his irritation. Didn't he just save them?

"Couldn't Judgment have sent a girl to rescue us?"

And like that, more and more complains were made. Kamijou Touma twitched his eyebrow, closing his eyes until he had enough of their crap. He tried being polite, yes he tried, but if that didn't work, then…

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 02

* * *

"Shut up all of you!" The voices inside the class died down abruptly as he slammed both hands on the teacher's table, "I'm risking my life for you and this is what I get? I will never understand ojous!" He sighed wearily, noticing their increasing fear at his outburst. "If you are just going to complain, then I will lock all of you inside this class until this is over. Am I clear?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-yes!"

All girls responded immediately, visibly scared, the girl with twin tails more than the others. He then looked at them inquisitively, arms folded in a way that a father would do with his children for behaving bad. The boy chuckled inwardly at it, yet his solemn expression remained.

"Well? I will explain the current situation quickly enough," Kamijou spoke, eyeing the pig tailed girl as she took sit on the desk. Her legs were weakened apparently so she couldn't remain on her feet. "School Garden has been invaded by two factions of Skill-out, and they are not only using radio jammers to prevent Anti-skill from making any move but also as you a machine that cripples all espers."

"We heard a bit about that…" One of the commented, earning a satisfied smile from the boy. "Eh? I-I…" She suddenly stammered, face red. "Th-they mentioned that as long as that device is on, all espers would not be able to move, m-much less using their abilities."

"Does this have anything to do with the school revolts?" The pig-tailed girl asked, her voice while sweet, carried a sharp undertone.

"Mmm… most likely…" He replied. "Anti-Skill has School Garden surrounded, but they can't do anything as there are many hostages that could get killed. They warned the police that if they attempted to enter these facilities, the thugs would start killing the students."

More gasps of fear erupted. Some of them started to cry, while others gritted their teeth in impotence. Most of them were powerful espers, yet they couldn't do anything.

"As I speak, another faction of Skill-Out is facing the two that invaded this area."

Some of them blinked, "Skill-Out is fighting Skill-Out?" The expression of incredulity most sported was understandable. "Why…? What is happening? Nothing makes sense…"

The ojou was right. There were too many things happening for reasons Kamijou had yet to discover, such as the real reason for Komaba Ritoku and his group helping in the recovery of School Garden. They said those two factions were dangerous to their operations, and that School garden held certain secrets that could harm the innocent if exposed…

Could they be really trusted?

"Maybe some of you don't know but Skill-Out was created with the intention of opposing the espers that misused their abilities and harmed those that were level 0," He explained, the girls frowning. "I'm not saying that any of you misuse your abilities but believe me, I have seen espers that used their power to prey on the weak."

"Skill-Out is nothing but a group of delinquents. I have been witness of what they are capable of. Saying that they fight for the rights of level zeroes, they attack espers indiscriminately."

Kamijou folded his arms, "I won't deny it because it's true, but there is always an exception. Not only this group allowed me to infiltrate this area, but also they are our only chance of recovering School Garden without suffering any casualty. This group is neutral."

The ojous looked confused… Kamijou was wasting too much time convincing them.

"Think of this as a fight for power between gangs. The group aiding us are only doing it because they can't allow their rivals to gain power inside Skill-Out. In the end, their intervention allowed me to be here speaking to you even if they don't care about School Garden."

Reluctant looks were exchanged between them.

"So Anti-Skill is sort of using them to take back control of School Garden?"

"Something like that… and it works for both sides…" Kamijou sat and began to examine the radio jammer. "Let's see… what the heck is this for?"

As the boy continued to study the device, the girls couldn't help smiling upon hearing his complaints about being ignorant to technological stuff and whatnot. Most of them haven't really met too many guys as they lived secluded from them, but this boy was… amusing.

Not to mention that he defeated 4 thugs with such ease… it was amazing.

"Geez, how do I turn this off?" Kamijou groaned in exasperation. "I'm gonna have to destroy it."

"Don't! If you do, they will notice it…" The pig-tailed girl rose from her sit. "I… I think I can help you with it." She attempted to walk to him, using every chair to support herself as he advanced. Her legs, however, stopped as she was about to fall for real.

Seeing this, Kamijou dashed from the desk and caught her before she collapsed. The boy held her by her shoulders as she grabbed him by the shirt to regain her balance. It was then that both looked at one another in their eyes, stunned by the proximity.

The other students observed, all of them flustered at the embarrassing scene happening before them. It turned to be a quite romantic scene some of them have seen in movies and it made their hearts beat so fast.

"I… I'm sorry…" Kamijou averted his gaze and helped the girl walk towards the teacher's desk. "You said you could help? Can you operate this thing?"

"Um… I-I-well… M-my name is Yumiya Rakko… I… I would prefer you calling me by that…"

The boy blinked. "Oh?" The boy help her sat on the chair and scratched his cheek. "Alright… Yumiya-san… Can you turn this off?"

Yumiya nodded shyly, making him gulp. This girl was too damn cute!

It only too her 20 seconds to accomplish it. Kamijou was impressed as he didn't imagine ojous knowing about this sort of stuff. He was underestimating them.

Soon, a cell phone began to ring on his pocket.

"Yes?" The boy answered, and then a couple of minutes passed. "…Got it!"

Anti-Skill had managed to communicate with him now that the jammer of the east area of School Garden had been nullified. The satellite had detected a machine that emitted some sort of wavelength only audible to espers.

According to what Therestina Kihara had informed, an experimental device superior to Capacity Down had been stolen. Unlike the first version, this model of Capacity Down did not emit any sound, yet any esper in the area of its reach would be crippled without causing any sort of headache. To Kamijou's dismay, this device did not only interrupt the brain operation of espers but also, it created an increasing pressure on an esper's brain. If exposed to this for a long period of time, it could cause irreversible damage to all cognitive operations.

This was one of the reasons on why the first two versions of Capacity Down were still being developed unlike the latter. This failed version was lethal to espers, hence the reason it was abandoned. Just like AUTO, it was stolen during the school revolts.

_(Why it always gets worse?)_

The map on his cell had also been updated with the location of a Capacity Down device near his location. His first objective was close thankfully.

"Reactivate the jammer," Kamijou commanded, pocketing his cell as the girl obeyed. "I will take care of the nearest Capacity Down so you can move and if possible, help me retake the control of the school. When you can move freely, deactivate the jammer again."

"You are going on your own?" One of the girls asked, surprisingly worried about him.

"Yes. Lock the door when I leave," Kamijou took out his last handcuffs. "Don't worry about these four, they are not waking up any time soon, but just to make sure," The boy used the Taser one more time with them. "Done…"

The boy walked to the door but a voice stopped him, "A-ano…"

"Hm?" He spun round only to see at every girl looking at him expectantly. "…Yes…?"

"Sorry for not trusting you… but perverts had tried to intrude our dormitories several times," A girl said, "You can imagine why we don't trust any boy inside School Garden…"

"Not to mention this sudden attack… we are scared…" Another one added.

The boy could see and sense their fear and they didn't even know that they could be severely damaged if they continued to be exposed to the Anti-esper device. He had to act quickly to not only destroy this Capacity Down, but the others too. Shirai was going to teleport inside the facilities once that device was destroyed to evacuate them.

"Don't be," He smiled reassuringly. "We'll make it through this, I promise."

"W-what is your n-name…?" Yumiya asked nervously, the others nodding in approval at her question.

The boy was startled, but eventually smirked, "Kamijou Touma, unfortunate member of Judgment at your disposal… well not really…" He chuckled, they giggled. "Be cautious and do not open the door under any circumstances. A teleporter of Judgment will come here to help when I'm done with that machine."

One of the students made an effort and moved, while slowly, to lock the door after the boy left. The Shidarezakura students wondered if all Judgment members were as dependable as that boy… and if boys were a cool as him…

Among them, **Yumiya Rakko**, and operative of SCHOOL, in fact, their **sniper**, smiled to herself. Without realizing it, all the students on her class began to talk to her. Her dream of becoming popular could become true now that her classmates had talked to her for the first time as they were impressed of her knowledge about the radio jammer, and she had to thank that pointy-haired boy.

Yumiya had decided to thank him personally. Kamijou Touma had helped her give the first step to accomplish her dream and she would not forget it…

**Part 9**

"Yo," Kamijou greeted three thugs guarding a green van parked a couple of blocks away from the school, inside an alley. "Could you guys tell me where I can find the Capacity Down device?"

Then thugs blinked, subtly eyeing the van behind them. The unfortunate boy grinned at their stupidity and indirect reply to his question. The map did not show an exact location of the device so he needed confirmation, the kind thugs gave it to him.

"Who the f-"

"C'mon shut up! I'm tired of hearing that again and again," The boy growled. "Let's forget the presentations and get to the point, shall we?"

The thugs exchanged glances before dashing towards him. Kamijou planted one foot forward and leaned his body backward as the first punch was avoided and delivered a headbutt to the first delinquent, only to grab by the head of the following one to deliver yet another headbutt. The third one stopped on his track and observed in shock at his companions lying unconscious beneath him.

"You know what follows this, right?"

The thug closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable headbutt to come, yet nothing occurred. "Here, use this on yourself," The Judgement agent suggested cockily, putting on his hand a taser. "It's this or you end like the rest of them."

"C-can't you just let me go?"

"Not a chance," Kamijou responded indifferently. "I can't risk you warning your friends of my presence. It's nothing personal. Oh, before that, do you know where the other devices are?"

The thug put the Taser on his neck and activated it before Kamijou could even blink, a current of electricity flowing through his body as his consciousness faded out.

"He truly did it…" He muttered in disbelief. "Would have used some information… geez…"

Kamijou stepped near the van and opened the back doors. Before him, a large black device that held multiple speakers, amplifiers and buttons. The boy examined the machine, wondering how come this device did not emit any sound if it had multiple speakers. The boy moved a tiny lever in it, yet nothing happened. Sighing, the boy walked to the unconscious thugs and grabbed a metal pipe from the floor.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna enjoy this…" Kamijou commented, smiling darkly as he positioned in front of the device. "Here goes nothing!"

The boy swung the metal pipe, crashing violently with the machine. As much as he could tell, it was still working. Another swing was made, then another until the boy noticed he made a whole in it. He scratched his head and delivered one last swing that ultimately made a sound as if something had been turned off.

"I guess it's done…" The boy raised his gaze, the Private Shidarezakura Academy in sight. "I don't know how Aibatsu and the others are doing, but the recovery of School Garden will start from this school," He said to himself. "I'll make sure of that…"

**Part 10**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 04

* * *

Inside Anti-skill's main quarters in **School district 2**.

Multiple squads prepared themselves as the stolen massive weapon **AUTO** had made an appearance in **School District 18**, which have been previously evacuated. The authorities had declared code red and all the military forces were about to be dispatched to deal with the terrorist attack.

Judgment agents took care of the crow control procedures and evacuation of all nearby areas to the zone of conflict. Traffic between districts was restricted as checkpoints were set on the roads. All traffic between inside and outside the city was also blocked.

According to the satellites Orihime 1 and Hikoboshi II, a considerable enemy force had made their way to that district and was giving support to AUTO. Several Units were fending off the terrorists but the massive weapon destroyed anything on its way.

Unavoidably, top schools in ability development such the **Nagatenjouki Academy** and the **Kirigaoka Girls' Academy** had been invaded by the terrorist force called PURE and were currently under control of the enemy force.

It was hard to belief that a heavily-armed small army had intruded the city's perimeter undetected. Aleister Crowley was completely sure that one or more members of the board of Directors were behind this incident.

However, there was this certain matter, far more important than anything else. An unknown **godly being** had descended to their world and was seeking to avoid **Armageddon**, so Aleister knew that certain temporary sacrifices would be needed to be made as he foresaw that the future would reach an inevitable **END**.

He was looking forward to witness the **Savior** enter** Hell** and return victorious.

That is why Aleister Crowley had given **Kihara Amata**, head developer of AUTO, the direct order of not interfering with the current events as his presence would prevent the unknown being from coming to the City of Science.

The time when the traitors would be found and dealt with would arrive eventually, as the 'Human' knew that replacements could always be found. Aleister was ready, as events that were out of his reach, momentarily, would occur and change the world's fate.

That didn't mean that he would not oppose those that were using his City's capabilities to accomplish their goals.

The Anti-skill squads equipped themselves with SWAT armors, riots shields, SIG SG 551 SWATs carbines with Aimpoint CompM2s attached to them, grenades and grenades launchers.

Armored trucks full with Anti-skill members were sent to deal with the terrorist forces and support the ones already fighting them. Several **HsAFH-11** attack helicopters, also known as Six Wings, prepared for take-off.

Depending on the advance of the enemy forces, the use of the supersonic stealth bombing planes would be taken into account. However, the **HsB-02 planes** would only be deployed as a last resort to avoid further destruction of district 18.

Tanks and multiple powered suits were deployed by Anti-Skill and Multi Active Rescue, mostly the models **HsPS-15 (Large Weapon)** and **Enemy Blaster.**

DA and the Black Crow Unit were already on their way to the site of the confrontation, though part of the main force of the Black Crow Unit was ordered by **Ladylee Tangleroad** to protect the **Space Elevator Endymion **from any possible attack, which was still under construction.

However, the Crow leader **Shutaura Sequenzia** and a major part of her force had deployed their mobile weapons to increase their firepower. The Crow large mobile weapons were also sent to district 18 to face the terrorist forces.

In all, almost all military forces were being dispatched.

Large lines of armed vehicles advanced from **district 2** where most of the city's military-related facilities were located, through District 7, 22 and 10 to reach the district that had become a battlefield.

The residents in District 7 observed in awe at the massive force as it advanced. The city of Science was absurdly armed, and probably its military force would match the one of a whole vountry. Alesiter Crowley could declare war with not only the espers at his command but also with his advanced military technology.

Current date: July 17th.

The sun began to emerge on the horizon, the sky becoming clearer.

The most violent confrontation to ever occur inside Academy City was about to reach critical levels. Yet, another trouble prevailed as it was the Skill-Out attack on School Garden…

**Part 11**

"I can hear explosions somewhere…" Kongou Mitsuko commented to both girls near her. "And the sudden tremor? Just what is going on…?"

A girl with dark-blue long hair closed her cell after using her esper ability, **Malicius Fake** to gain access to the cameras on the district.

"Something serious is happening. A massive military force is heading somewhere… probably, district 18… I can't gain access to the surveillance cameras of that district for some reason…"

"It's amazing Tomoko! How did you manage to access the security system with just your cell?" The nun called Index asked with curiosity. "Are you an esper?"

"Yes…" She replied quietly, "Like Kongou-san, I'm a level 4 esper…"

"A level 4?" Kongou was surprised. "That is interesting…"

Maki Tomoko's ability allowed her to control or operate any machine from a certain distance, which she managed to increase when she began to use her cell as a mediator. As a level 4 esper, she could also control nanotechnology.

"Anyway… here they come."

Three armed men approached the street that connected to another alley the trio was using to hide. They girls had made a plan to take down the unknown people that were aiming to kidnap Kongou Mitsuko. The trio hoped it would work.

Maki pressed a button of her cell and it began.

"What the…!?" One of the kidnappers was startled when three cleaning bots move at abnormal speed towards them. "Shit!"

The man shot the bots with it's now silenced assault rifle, yet these proved resistant enough, finally crashing with him and his companion. The third one kicked the machine to no avail as the three bots prevented both men on the ground from moving.

"What is with these things?" The third kidnapper noticed a wind current coming from his left, turning to see in its direction. The girl that was their objective together with another student and a… nun, stood at some meters away from them. "You are…"

Kongou swung her green fan as the five ejection points she prepared around the area where their attackers stood were activated before any of them could react. Powerful wind currents crashed with one another when they reached the men, creating a tiny tornado that sent them, with cleaning bots included, to the sky.

The attackers eventually returned to crash harshly on the solid ground due to the force of gravity, all of them were unconscious. Their surprise attack worked as their skills combined gave them no time to react.

Index jumped happily, raising one arm upward, "Yeah, you did it!"

Kongou panted slightly but sighed in relief, her tension dissipating. It was until this moment that she noticed the sky was becoming clearer… it was late…? Or too early?

"4:20 a.m.?" She muttered in shock. "We haven't sleep at all! How come so many hours passed!?"

"They say when you have fun, time flies!" Index pointed out!

"But I was not having fun!"

Maki coughed to call their attention, "I think we should tie them before they wake up…" She knelt by them… "Let's use their uniforms as rope."

The sounds of siren came into their earshot, "I don't think we are gonna have to worry about that… Anti-skill is here."

"We have to leave Index! We can't have them see you if you still don't have any document!"

"I knew she was foreigner but… she is an illegal immigrant or something?"

Kongou gulped, not having the slightest idea of what to do. Maki seemed to be a good person so far, but as a citizen, the girl would had the duty of informing to the authorities if someone entered AC illegally. Index would be deported back to England if that occurred.

"P-please! Don't tell anyone that-"

"I won't! She is a cute nun!" Maki reassured, smiling warmly.

"Thank you very much!" Kongou was about to cry. She grabbed Maki's hand and shook them frenetically, "You saved my life and Index's too! We can't thank you enough!"

The Malicious Fake user blinked, before glancing at the ground. "There is no need to… Someone had taught me to be like this… and I'm happy to have made new friends!"

Index hugged her, "I'm happy too! Let's go celebrate our new friendship with a lot of food!"

Maki nodded while Kongou deadpanned before smiling brightly.

**Part 12**

"Man, shouldn't we helping boss deal with Komaba Ritoku?" A thug guarding the hostages inside the campus of Shidarezakura Academy, the sun had begun to emerge slowly. "I can't contact the others…"

Another thug groaned, "Don't give a fuck, really. I need to hit the sack," He extended his arms upward. "We've been awake all the shitty night! How much more are we going to watch them, eh? Look," The thug motioned his hand to the tied hostages. "The bitches are asleep."

The students were seemingly sleeping, some over the ground, others resting on the back of others. It was irksome that the ojous rested while they had to watch over them.

"Tch! It's stupid that we can't do anything to them!" One of them complained, practicing a swing of his bat. The bat was then pointed to a girl. "Look at their legs and tits! Such hotties and we can't have fun! The boss is cruel!"

"Shut up already, would you?"

"Yeah… shut up lowlife."

A voice that the members of Red Falcon did not recognize echoed through the European-styled campus. The group composed of 9 thugs looked at the entrance of the main building, a boy with spiky-hair that wore a school uniform and what was worse, carried on his arm green armband, approached them with hands on his pockets, cockily eyeing them.

"Judgement is here?" The apparent head of this group growled, hitching his jacket, "You know what this means right?"

The delinquents exchanged looks of perversion. They were told to kill the hostages in case any police or affiliated organization infiltrated their new territory. If they had the excuse to kill the hostages, then why not abuse them first?

But first came the task of dealing with the troublesome boy that was stupid enough to face them by his own. He couldn't be an esper because he was not being affected by Capacity Down, so kicking his ass should be easy enough.

One of them pointed a handgun to the agent of order, who remained impassive.

"Hey, don't kill him that fast! I want to beat him down!"

The thug ignored his companion and was about to shot when his gun moved by his own and flew out of his grasp, the gun pointing at his owner as it floated in mid-air.

"The fuck!?" He paled, not only because of the rare event, but also due to a large mass of female students appearing behind the Judgment boy.

"Th-they shouldn't be able to m-move!" Another delinquent stuttered in fear, stepping back. "What's going on?"

"Aghh!"

A scream was heard, the thugs turned around to see a one of his companions falling unconscious to the ground. To their horror, every 'hostage' was not asleep as they believed, in fact, they were all conscious and were glaring at them darkly.

Their weapons flew out of their reach; their minds began to hear multiple voices, causing massive pain. Balls of energy crashed with some of them, while others were hit by an invisible force. Vacuum blades crashed with the remaining ones.

The group of Shidarezakura students advanced, passing the immobile teen with arms crossed. It was amazing that a group of espers with different abilities could do, sort of terrifying honestly, but he was glad that this school was being recovered.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou left the recovered school thanks to the efforts of their students, who took down the thugs strategically by communicating through telepathy and planned ambushes; none of them stood a chance. Outside, the boy scratched his cheek in bewilderment as he remembered the praise he received from the rescued girls.

There were even hugs and kisses on his cheek! It seemed that he caused quite the impression on them, which by the way turned out to be embarrassing as he was not used to this kind of treatment from the opposite sex…

The ojous were not that bad apparently.

All the Red Falcon members inside the Private Shidarezakura Academy were captured by their students, every hostage released and the Radio Jammer destroyed. Kamijou contacted Yomikawa, who informed him that Komaba's group was pushing the invaders from all the entrances of School Garden. The Red Falcon leader and his closest his subordinates retreated to the inner areas as almost all Acid Snake members were taken down.

Many thugs died during the violent confrontation of the Skill-Out factions, mostly from Acid Snake. Gunshots, knife cuts and violent hits caused them.

Shirai Kuroko had teleported inside the facilities and had begun evacuating the students and the staff out of the school. It was funny to think that Kamijou had to convince them to not follow him to the other areas that were still under the control of the invaders, because the argument used by the ojous involved an apparent duty for those living in School Garden, which was to protect, or in this case, take back their home.

Shirai helped the boy persuade them, and eventually they accepted as Kamijou stated that there were more of those anti-esper devices still working. It would be dangerous for espers like them to venture into the unrecovered areas, so they had no choice than to evacuate.

Also, Kamijou warned Shirai to not bring any Anti-skill members inside as it could cause complications and put the remaining hostages in danger.

Suddenly, a group of thugs came into his sight, led by the blond that was called Hamazura.

"Yo," He greeted Kamijou casually. "You are still alive and kicking?" Hamazura grinned, glancing behind the boy. "Komaba-san said that someone managed to screw the jamming around this area. It was you I guess."

Kamijou looked at the academy over his shoulder, "You could say so… Every hostage is being evacuated as we speak in the school behind me. I also destroyed the Capacity Down affecting this zone so any espers around should be able to move."

"I can see why that Anti-Skill chick trusted you," The boy with unruly blond hair put the assault rifle he carried to rest on his shoulder. "You must be fucking tough."

"Kind of, so…" Kamijou put on a serious expression. "How is your group doing? Where are the others?"

"The rest is fine… well, almost all of us… there still were some casualties…" Hamazura muttered, Kamijou narrowing his gaze, "But that's about it."

"I'm sorr-"

"Don't," The blond cut him off. "We know the consequences, and we know we can die. No one would cry if that happened to any of us, that's what we swore to ourselves when we joined Komaba-san."

The spiky-haired teen was impressed. Even if they were thugs, their willpower was something to admire. He could sympathise with them as the teen itself had witnessed himself how some espers misused their abilities on the powerless.

Even when they said that they would kick out the invaders from School Garden because they couldn't allow other Skill-Out gangs to gain power and reputation. The fact that they could use this opportunity to truly harm the people they considered as their enemy and had refrained from doing it, even the contrary as they fought to free them from their captors, truly spoke of their actions.

Most Skill-Out gangs attacked indiscriminately espers, no matter their level. Kamijou knew beforehand that any other gang could have use this opportunity to only create havoc from the already existing chaos this invasion to School Garden brought, yet Komaba Ritoku's faction and Aibatsu's group fought to terminate it.

Shirai even mentioned that other groups from Komaba's faction contacted Anti-skill to evacuate the hostages from the other recovered areas, which proved that they truly meant good. It was a pleasant surprise to see not all Skill-Out groups were bad…

Anyhow, Shirai had been evacuating all hostages from the recovered areas, hence the reason of her apparent fatigue. At least, the rescued ojous that were freed of Capacity Down's influence had created a mental network to exchange information about the current events taking place inside the School Garden.

And what was more important, to stop any of the rescued hostages from attacking the wrong Skill-Out members and to informed them that a certain Skill-Out group was actually helping in the recovery of the facilities.

Some of them found it unbelievable as expected, but only they saw the rescuers. It was Ironic they would be rescued by the people they feared and hated.

"I see," Kamijou nodded reassuringly. "I really appreciate what you guys are doing."

"Nah," Hamazura shook his head dismissively, glancing at the cloudless sky. "Don't mention it dude. We are just doing this for our benefit, though I hope we get paid for this."

They were not bad, but certainly not good either, Kamijou admitted.

"Geez…" He facepalmed. "Either way, you are rescuing people, so I still appreciate it."

They Skill-Out member shrugged his shoulders as more members appeared, following the guy that had the same name of a Ninja, Hattori Hanzou. Even Aibatsu and the Zero Hunters appeared behind them. Kamijou smirked.

"Yo, aniki! Glad to see ya alive!"

The teen nodded, glancing at them. The street lights were turned off automatically as the sky became even brighter. School Garden was beginning to get light from the rising sun, making Kamijou realize that he haven't slept at all, yet he felt energetic.

"The same," He smiled in response, and the straightened his posture, seriously looking at them as the recovery was not complete. "Are we moving? Where is Komaba?"

"Leader Komaba is heading to the middle area to gather with our other groups to capture Kenshin…" Hanzou's gaze darkened. "The other bastard is gone though. I mean Spade, that shitty limping dude."

Hamazura put a thoughtful hand on his chin, "Yeah, he simply disappeared while we kicked their disgusting butts," The blond stepped towards his companion. "Whatever, we'll eventually find the asshole and give him what he deserves."

"Fuck yeah!/We'll for sure!/Whooho!"

Shouts from the gathered groups erupted around. Kamijou nodded, moving forward… or at least, that was what he tried to do until he noticed someone pulling his shirt from behind. Hamazura and Hanzou were seemingly startled, making the pointy-haired boy wonder… who could be for them to have such reaction?

Kamjou looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening upon observing the girl whose name was Yumiya Rakko, standing shyly behind him as she gripped the back of his shirt.

"A-ano!" She began, her voice desperate.

"What the hell…?" Hamazura blinked.

"…is this chick doin' here?" Hanzou finished, everyone was clearly surprised.

Kamijou was no exception, "Yumiya…?" He turned to her. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be evacuating like… now?"

"…I'm an e-esper, and I want to h-help you like you did with us..." The girl looked down to her feet, crossing her hands nervously as her cheeks became red from all the attention directed at her. "I-I d-don't want to escape while you still…"

The boy blinked, their eyes met, yet when they did, she let out a soft yelp, dropping her gaze, her knees trembling slightly. She was really shy, but cute too.

"Yumiya," Kamijou spoke firmly. "Listen…"

The girl panicked at his serious tone, "Y-y-y-yes!?" The boy blinked again at her outburst, noticing her absurdly red cheeks.

Kamijou glanced at the Skill-Out members, most of them frowning and grimacing. Though Aibatsu sported a sly smile of complicity… of what Kamijou had no idea. The roar of more fights occurring could be hear near them, gun shots and glass breaking, making him realize he could not waste more time.

His eyes returned to the bashful student, "You can hear it, right? The violent confrontations occurring everywhere…" Kamijou breathed deeply. "It's dangerous out here and I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"I-I appreciate Kamijou-sama's concern, but I s-still want to be of any assistance," Yumiya replied, her nervousness slowly disappearing. "I can do it, I assure you."

"Listen up ojou!" Hamazura made his way to the girl, brows twitching in annoyance. "Serious shit is happening around. Ojous like you have no place in this fight. Go back to your friends and wait for the adults to sort this out."

The unexpected occur.

Yumiya's face darkened, gaze hidden under her bangs as she said nothing. Seconds passed, uncertainty emerging on every boy and man around her. To their surprise, the girl took off her blazer, revealing a rather big boson.

Kamijou and Hamazura stared at her chest hidden under the dark-colored vest as the girl unbuttoned her white shirt from the neck, revealing a black t-shirt. Yumiya raised her face, cold eyes and a serious expression directed at the blond Skill-Out member.

"…Kg…" Hamazura gave one step back, startled, forgetting the tempting sight from just seconds ago. "Y-you…!?"

"I'm more than capable…" She said darkly. "Are you willing to test me, mister?"

Her sharp undertone was intimidating, hell it made Hamazura gulp while the others paled. The abrupt change of demeanor startled them, because the shy girl seemed a totally different person.

"No…" The blond muttered…

"T-then K-Kamijou-sama…" She addressed the boy, her shy personality back, much to everyone's mental agitation. "L-let me c-come…"

Kamijou was speechless, trying to understand what just happened. A trail of sweat fell from his forehead as he shook his head to get back to his senses. There was something completely wrong with Yumiya Rakko, the cold eyes she sported before told him that.

"If the remaining intruders see a student working with Skill-Out, the others could harm the rest of the hostages," To that reply, Yumiya have one step back and took off the vest of her uniform, the size of her chest becoming even more noticeable. "…I guess you don't look much like an ojou…"

"I won't take any responsibility for her," Hamazura commented dismissively, returning to his group, Hanzou following suit. "If she comes, it's your trouble."

Komaba's faction began to move further inside the European-styled streets, Kamijou watched them leave when Aibatsu, Touya and the Zero Hunters waited for him.

"If you say you can help us get back School Garden, I will trust you, Yumiya."

The girl nodded while the Zero Hunters readied themselves for the coming confrontation.

**Part 13**

"You should take a break, Kuroko."

Misaka put a hand on the teleporter's shoulder, offering her a grateful smile. Since the Skill-Out groups entered the facilities, Shirai had been teleporting inside to take out every hostage every time Komaba's faction recovered an area and contacted Anti-Skill for evacuation.

Shirai Kuroko offered herself to evacuate the hostages instead of using the Anti-Skill squads as she stated that it would be better to let the intruders think they are only against other Skill-Out gangs. This turned to be the best choice as they haven't hurt any of the kidnapped students and staff yet.

Misaka and Saten couldn't count really count how many times Shirai had jumped between School Garden and this area. The level 4 teleported even brought some of the thugs for interrogation, which honestly resulted fruitless as they didn't knew anything of real importance.

"I appreciate your concern, onee-sama, but this is my job and I'm the only level 4 available with this skill," Shirai replied as she took a couple of minutes to rest before proceeding with the evacuation. "Today has been quite the day…" Shirai rested both hand on her legs, as Saten offered a can of melon soda, which she accepted. "To see Skill-Out members helping our fellow students… it's just so unusual. Don't you think so, Saten-san?"

The level 0 nodded, grinning as she sat at her side, "Well, there are always exceptions, right? Rumors talk about the number 2 of the level 5, saying that he has a deathly organization under his control. Not all level 5 are good I suppose, so the same applies to Skill-Out, right?"

"It applies to everything…" Tsukino Yui added, approaching their group. "People, ideologies, things, even laws," The young student focused on the white-haired girl, "Nature provides exceptions to every rule."

Her words were wise as they were true.

"I suppose I rested enough," Shirai stood up, massaging her left shoulder. "I'll proceed with the evacuation."

"Please do," Tsukino nodded.

Misaka sighed as the underclassman disappeared yet again. When it came to Judgement duties, there was no way to convince that girl. Also, she apparently did it because there was the chance that Uiharu and the other abducted girls were inside School Garden.

**Part 14**

"A machine that uses my power?"

Mugino Shizuri sought confirmation from her operative **Takitsubo Rikou**, over the phone.

"Yes… According to the report, the unknown group that started the school revolutions had stolen a massive weapon from the inner levels of District 22, which is capable of replicating your Meltdowner ability…"

Mugino twitched an eyebrow, irritation clouding her mind. Frenda, who was with her inside their hideout, paled at the angry expression that her boss sported all of a sudden. A drop of cold sweat trailed down her forehead as she waited for her boss to finish the call.

"Fucking bastards! How dare they…?" The voiced of the tea-colored girl faded. "Then this had become personal. I will hunt down those scumbags before Anti-Skill catches them."

"…Okay…" Replied a startled Takitsubo.

With that, the level 5 ended the call, and stood up from the sofa she was previously relaxing on. The pale lights in the ominous room shadowed part of her face, thus creating a tense atmosphere. Frenda found herself wanting to flee upon seeing her boss eerily silent, yet if she did that, a severe punishment would befall on her.

"Frenda…" Hard eyes gazed at the scared blonde, causing her to yelp as Frenda's beret fell from her head. She managed to catch it before it reached the ground though. "Get ready. We are leaving."

"O-of course!" Frenda nodded frenetically. "Whatever you say…"

**Part 15**

"How much more are we gonna wait?"

"Easy man, don't be impatient," Hamazura yawned as he sat over a bench located near the blocked entrance of the Tokiwadai Middle School, the only area that was still under the control of the Skill-Outs intruders. "Let's wait for Komaba-san to give the signal."

Kamijou folded his arms, letting out an exasperated grunt. More than fifteen minutes had passed as the gathered groups of Skill-Out surrounded the perimeter of the last bastion for the remaining members of Acid Snake and Red Falcon.

The main metal gates of the elite school were closed; there was no sign of movement in the courtyard, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. They have apparently hidden inside the Tokiwadai Structure, every window covered by either curtains or furniture of the rooms.

"We've been lucky that they haven't threatened any of the hostages, but that could be different now that those dicks have been put in a corner and surrounded. We should hurry."

The blond tsked, "That's why we are waiting, dude. We can't really storm our butts through the entrance like a bunch of bulls. We need a plan, so until the boss makes one, we wait."

Kamijou nodded, admitting that the blond was right. Rushing in was not really an option as it would most likely compromise the safety of the Tokiwadai students and staff. To infiltrate the facilities was not a good choice either because unlike the Shidarezakura Academy, the kidnappers were aware of their presence, so every entrance is probably guarded.

"Where is that scary chick? Haven't seen her in a while…"

Kamijou blinked, noticing it as well, "You are right…" He stood up, looking around. "Where is that girl…?"

A group of Zero Hunters approached their location led by the ojou in question. Hamazura frowned upon seeing the face of Hanzou and the others. If the nervous faces was anything to go by, he would say they were scared shit of the pig-tailed brat, not literally of course.

Yumiya made a joyful squeal upon seeing the pointy-haired boy, but quickly shook her head, regaining her composure. With hurried steps she neared the startled teenager, and Kamijou noticed blood stains on the white shirt.

"Yumiya!? Are you alright?" The boy asked in concern, examining the blood stains. "There is blood in your-"

"I-It's not m-mine!" She stuttered, raising both hands to her chest. "I am f-fine…"

"Damn she is…" Hanzou muttered, only to gulp when Yumiya glared at him coldly for a mere second before her shy personality returned. "Erm… where is leader Komaba?" The Ninja attempted to change the topic. "Is he still examining the schematics?"

"Beats me. I'm just happy here relaxing a bit, you know. Can't count how many assholes I stomped today… Shit! I forgot to call that brat!" Hamazura took out his phone, searching in his contact list the name Frenda. "Man, I hope they are not pissed…"

Hanzou sighed and put a hand on the shoulder of his companion, face serious, "It's been only a couple of weeks since you started working with that group and you are now being abused by them, man. To those chicks, you are just a retarded grunt."

"Shut up! The pay is good!"

Kamijou raised an amused eyebrow as he overheard their conversation. The guy called Hamazura worked with an organization? What organization exactly? Another Skill-Out group or something?

"A-ano…" Yumiya called their attention. "I-I'm not u-used to be around s-so many boys… so if you'll excuse me…" She glanced at the pointy-haired teen. "I'll wait o-over there, near the fountain."

The girl left the group, and sat on the solid fountain's edge, taking out her cell, she began to… play with it… probably. It was then when Aibatsu spoke up.

"Despite her scary nature when she shot many thugs, that ojou surely has nice boobs."

Kamijou blinked upon hearing that. He could not recall seeing on her a gun of any sort… and why would she carry one in the first place? A student and what is worse, an ojou from one of the top high-class schools in School Garden shooting thugs? Did she kill any of them? Maybe Aibatsu was joking… but the blood…

His doubts were interrupted when another voice was heard.

"Yep, she has a nice body," Hamazura agreed, his companions nodding stoically. "I could certainly grab that pair and never get bored."

"I didn't know you were into ojou-samas," Hanzou blinked in mild surprise. "But know that I recall, you are the servant of those ojous so, you are fucked up."

"Shitty idiot! I'm not into ojou-samas! They are so fucking annoying and self-centred!" The blond argued. "Stuck-up bitches!"

"Fuck you!" Aibatsu yelled. "Their air of nobility is what makes them so moe! Just to think that any of them would grab my jun-"

"OOOOOOIIIEEEEAAAA!" Another Skill-Out member shouted. "Lolis are the best! Who cares if she is an ojou, as long as she is a cute loli that can call me onii-chan!"

One of them pulled the lolicon by his jacket aggressively, a tense atmosphere building up. Incredulous eyes from the spiky-haired boy observed them as he tried to avoid butting in the heated discussion. This was after all a sensitive topic to him.

"Idiotic siscon! Don't dare you call yourself a lolicon if you like being called onii-chan! Lolis just need to be kawaii and wear cute outfits! Even nekomimi to improve their moe power!"

"Whohoo! Cats girls all the way man!"

"Tsundere chicks are better in my opinion; their adorable negation of her true feelings towards anyone is always the best!"

A zero hunter added, "Nononono! That type is irritating! I prefer any normal girl that wears maid outfits… though sexy and moe nurses are awesome, too."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 05

* * *

More and more comments continued to be exchanged between them. Luckily, the Shiradezakura student was away from them so she didn't have to hear this nonsense. Kamijou closed his eyes, twitching an eyebrow as he felt increasingly irritated.

Someone had to do something.

"STUPID IGNORANTS!" Kamijou rose to his feet, making a strong fist. "I can't believe none of you have mentioned the onee-san type! Serious and reserved is what truly give their maturity a moe power beyond limits! It's a crime that you prefer a loli instead of a well-endowed onee-san! Dammit!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"NO! FUCK YOU!" Kamijou gritted his teeth pushing aggressively the lolicon! "Lolis are simple kids. Tsunderes are so freaking annoying. Ojous are a pain in the ass! Young maids are too damn clumsy most of the time! Kuuderes are hard to talk to and yanderes are too damn scary! Only well-endowed onee-sans, whether they are nurses, teachers, dorm supervisors or whatever, carry the true sense of moe! Their cute seriousness is MOE!"

Hanzou had to agree with the Judgment boy, he was after all, in love of one, yet, he also loved the tsundere type. Maybe he just liked being treated harshly by women as Yomikawa Aiho had been doing with him since they met… but he would never admit it.

"Oh, I understand! YOU HAVE A FUCKING FETISH WITH THE ONEE-SAN TYPE!" Argued Touya from the Zero Hunters. "That fetish makes you ignore all other possibilities, and that _amigo_ is a fucking crime!"

"It doesn't matter who it is in the end. Just put a nekomimi in the girl or woman, whatever, and she will become the ultimate type! CAT GIRLS ARE DA BEST!"

Hamazura grabbed his companion by the collar, glaring at him, "I have seen in that manga Bakemonogatari that cat girls are fucking insane! They are hot, sure, but not the best.

"You can't just put a nekomimi to an onee-san, idiot!" Kamijou shouted. "A Nekomimi would only diminish the natural charm of any onee-san! DOING THAT IS A MORTAL SIN!"

"You can't be serious, aniki!" Aibatsu retorted. "Cat ears carry the ultimate power! Nekomimis are universal!"

By this point, almost every boy looked about to fight each other, Kamijou and Aibatsu crashing their heads as they continued their ridiculous conversation.

"That's why you are an idiot!" Imagine Breaker yelled with righteous fury, at least righteous on his point of view, "Are you the sort of people that would put mayonnaise to rice just because they combine well? To improve the taste matters, but adding such would make the true taste of rice disappear! The same applies for onee-sans!"

"YOU ARE THE IDIOT! WHAT'S WRONG ABOUT PUTTING MAYONNAISE TO THE RICE!?"

"Onee-sans are love! Onee-sans are life!" Kamijou shouted.

"SHUT UP! YOU ARE ALL FUCKED UP!" Suddenly, Yomikawa spoke though the communicator that Kamijou had with him, given to him by Shirai when she began the evacuation of the Shidarezakuka Academy, which was, to their surprise, activated… Just when did he…?

The pointy-haired teen blinked as he quickly turned off the device.

Abruptly, everyone became silent, glancing between them for several seconds. Hamazura let out a chuckle, followed by Aibatsu. That's when all males broke into laughter, not even Kamijou could resist it.

A couple of minutes elapsed before the unexpected occurred again. A strident noise echoed across the area, Kamijou turning his head to the Tokiwadai Middle School as he spotted a trail of smoke coming from the school campus.

"Shit is happening!" Hanzou declared as many other groups appeared, led by their leader, Komana Ritoku.

"…Time to move," He commanded.

Kamijou followed the large Skill-Out group inside the facilities, forcefully opening the closed gates with bat hits and kicks. After that, the large group split in three smaller ones, Kamijou following the left team as they advanced further into the area where the Tokiwadai Dormitory within School Garden was located.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou sprinted across many of the bedrooms used by the Tokiwadai students, while the Komaba faction faced the rest of the invaders on other areas. It was absurd the luxury that this dormitory displayed by just looking at some of the bedrooms.

The beds, the furniture, the silk curtains, the carpeted ground, the chandeliers that hung not only on the bedrooms, but also those that illuminated the corridors that connected all rooms in each floor… just everything displayed the abysmal difference between normal schools and High-Class ones.

Honestly, it was annoying…

Suddenly… screams were heard near the next corridor.

"ARRRGGGH!"

Kamijou stopped briefly, but wasted no time and headed to the source of the piercing yell, tensing in anticipation. Surely, members of the Komaba faction had reached this floor though the other wing, yet, when turning on right on the corner, he found out that he was wrong.

There was blood, not only on the floor, but also on the walls. Multiple Red Falcon members were lying down across the hallway. Kamijou neared them and knelt to check the bodies, only to realize that they were dead. Multiple circular wounds, as if gun shots were found by him in vital areas of each executed thug.

The perpetrator of the massacre was nowhere to be seen.

"Dammit…" The boy cursed, "Did they do this?"

He obviously was referring to his temporal allies, Komaba's group or the Zero Hunters. Who would be capable of killing in cold blood so many armed thugs with such accuracy? It was really quite troublesome and frightful…

"Kyaaaa!" A shriek echoed across the hallway, further alerting Kamijou as he dashed towards its source.

"That voice sounded like…"

Kamijou turned left this time and saw a thug about to cut Yumiya Rakko with a knife. The girl avoided his attack by steeping back, which caused her to fall on her butt to the carpeted ground. Kamijou moved quickly and tackled the thug from behind, crashing the thug's face with the ground. The attacker was down for the count.

"Yumiya, I remember I told you to…"

"I-I know what Kamijou-sama s-said…" She stuttered, face red. "But I couldn't stay with the Skill-Outs members… s-some were creepy…" Yumiya dropped her gaze, gripping her skirt. "I'm sorry…"

Kamijou observed the girl with two pig-tails in silence, eventually sighing in resignation and giving her a tiny smile. She had a point by not wanting to wait with some Skill-Out members while they retook the Tokiwadai Middle School; she was an ojou after all.

"Can't be helped I guess…" His soft smile suddenly hardened, Yumiya blinking at that. "Do you know what happened in the corridor behind me? There's a…"

She lowered her gaze darkly, yet, after a couple of seconds, a confused expression was displayed to Kamijou, which he took as her answer.

"I guess you don't…" The boy admitted, standing up before he offered her a helping hand. "Forget about it…" He observed her, she was fine. "How come you came all the way here?"

Yumiya took some second to reply, her eyes darting from left to right as she became nervous. Her personality was cute, but kind of irksome during this dangerous situation. It did just not suit the current circumstances.

"I-I climbed a tree and sneaked through an o-opened window," Yumiya responded agitatedly, "I tr-tried to find you but that scary man began to chase after me until… Kamijou-sama appeared…"

The boy was doubtful about her reply, he just had this feeling that she was hiding something, but in the end decided to shrug it off. There were more pressing matters at hand, and now that Yumiya would stick with him, he had to be more cautious…

First Saten, and now this ojou…

_(Geez…)_

**o-0-O-0-o**

The boy turned around, giving Yumiya his back.

"I guess there is no point in telling you to hide around here now that you are inside the school, so please, stay near me. I haven't seen your esper abilities yet, and honestly I would prefer that you refrained from using them."

"Why, Kamijou-sama? I c-can help you with my a-abilities…"

"You could become their main target in the next confrontations as they hate espers with abilities the most…" The boy looked over his shoulder at her. "Our priority is to find the hostages, or the leader. I can't keep watching people getting hurt or dying, so if we were to capture the big shots, we could stop this madness once and for all."

Yumiya nodded as the pointy-haired teen looked carefully to both sides of an intersection, most likely to check if more of that filthy scumbag was near. The boy despised death for that last comment, making Yumiya reconsider how was she going to act with him.

She, by all means, had to avoid revealing of what she was capable of, not to mention what she did in the corridor when a group was swiftly killed with her esper abilities. This boy would hate her for sure if he was to know the truth, she realized.

"A-as Kamijou-sama says…" The sniper of SCHOOL followed after her saviour, cold eyes and a predatory smile was directed to the teen until he glanced at her. Her expression instantly transformed into a shy smile, which he responded with confident one of his own.

Of course, she would not show him her true colors… yet. Maybe this was what the rumors referred to about getting a crush on a boy she overheard from her classmates. She felt true admiration for him and wanted to become his friend.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 03

* * *

"C'mon. We are going this way, Yumiya," He said, looking at her over his shoulders as the boy motioned with one hand for her to follow him.

The girl nodded sheepishly as he observed a certain hallway. "Of course, Kamijou-sama..." With that coming out of her lips, the boy started walking forward.

She smiled darkly then, her heart beating fast for reasons she had yet to understand.

**Part 16**

"Take this, fucking asshole!"

Hamazura Shiage shot at point-blank range to Kenshin after finally recovering his submachine gun during a violent fight between his companions and the enemy forces. Hanzou delivered an uppercut and then a kick to one of the intruders as he noticed they began to flee, others giving up as they dropped their weapons upon seeing their leader lying dead on the ground.

Komaba Ritoku had fended off the main enemy force that had gathered inside a large auditorium inside the Tokiwadai facilities. With all Capacity Downs destroyed in School Garden, the telepaths had communicated with the hostages in Tokiwadai to hold on and wait until an allied Skill-Out group that worked for the authorities came to free them.

This was done to mainly stop the Tokiwadai students from trying to escape by themselves now that they obtained back their esper abilities, an also to warn them of not attacking the… different… rescue team sent for the task.

"Stop wasting bullets moron. That dude is as good as dead," Hanzou deadpanned, "The job is done. Komaba had already contacted Anti-Skill so it's our turn to get our asses out of here."

"What about the other bastard?" Hanzou blinked, "I mean, that lunatic of Spade! He had not been captured or killed as far as I know and all the exits of School Garden are shut! The shitty clown must be around somewhere."

The sound of strong steps was heard, nearing them.

"This is not over…" To their surprise, Komaba Ritoku himself appeared among the crowd as every Red Falcon and Acid Snake member was subdued. "But it's not our problem anymore, so either way, we are leaving… Anti-Skill gave us thirty minutes…"

**Part 17**

Wannai Kinuho had expected to be rescued by Anti-Skill, Judgment, or just Misaka with her level 5 abilities; instead, she had been told telepathically that another faction of Skill-Out was going to free them from their captors, which was unbelievable.

Yet, the circumstances she found herself in resulted even more surprising, but not in the bad sort of surprise as would have been to be rescued the people she feared, even if they worked with the police, but upon seeing someone she was actually dying to see since the Tokiwadai School was invaded and all their powers were weakened by unknown technology, Wannai couldn't stop herself from crying, but of happiness.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 06

* * *

A boy which she deeply admired extended a hand to her, after he had untied her from the ropes that kept her motionless. A girl that wore the Shidarezakura uniform had come with him and was untying the other students in the room.

They happened to be in the inner garden in the Tokiwadai Dormitory.

"I'm feeling guilty, you know?" He spoke reassuringly, "Seeing me again, and you start to cry all of a sudden," Getting no response, Kamijou knelt in front of her and wiped the tears on her cheeks kindly. "Everything is okay now…"

Yes, everything was fine now that he was here. Even after being held as hostages for the whole night, the threats directed at their lives, the fear towards their captors as they could have hurt them badly, or worse, it all ended as kind eyes observed her, protected her.

The same eyes he sported when they first met in that eventful day of June.

"I-I know…" Wannai wiped her tears, while the other rescued students looked at the pair with amusement, confusion and surprise. Others, like the Shidarezauka student sported jealously. "I was scared… but not anymore."

Kamijou smiled and stood up, pulling Wannai by her hand. He then gazed at all the students around him. Letting go of her hand, not before grinning at her bashfully, he directed his attention to the whole group of Tokiwadai students.

"Listen up! I'm with Judgement as you can see," His eyes moved briefly to his armband. "Tokiwadai is being evacuated as I speak, Skill-Out members are helping as you must know by now via telepathy."

Some of them nodded, other just stared at him in surprise as they could not believe that a boy was inside their Dormitory. Yet, that didn't matter as the boy had freed them, taking down by himself the 7 thugs that were guarding the inner garden of the elite school.

It was impressive to those that managed to see it, the boy defeating each one of them with swift jabs and kicks that made everyone realize that he was no mere boy. Only when they noticed the green armband, the Tokiwadai students understood why they boy managed to defeat so many thugs by himself. He was a trained member of the Disciplinary Committee.

"I suggest that everyone remains here until every intruder has been captured," The boy advised and looked at the flustered Wannai, who kept gazing at her own hand. "Hey, I'll be going now. Don't even begin to say that you will come with me, or I'll get mad."

The Hydro Hand user blinked in mild shock. The boy had read her mind, and before she had the chance to offer herself to accompany him to whenever he would go, he had made clear that he would be going alone.

Walking to the main exit of the garden room, he stopped, turning around, "Anti-Skill should be arriving soon, so please wait here…"

"I-I have to s-stay too, Kamijou-sama?" The Shidarezakura student asked nervously, Wannai was startled as she seemed a bit close to him... Just who was that twin-tailed girl?

_(Why is a student of another school here… and why does she know Kamijou-kun…? Are they friends or something?)_

"Yes please. There is something I need to check by myself. I appreciate that you came here just to help me, but it's time for you to evacuate too," Kamijou put both hands on his pocked as he spun around. "I won't hear a no for an answer this time."

A sound of a helicopter could be heard far away.

The Judgment boy opened the double doors and closed them behind him. Wannai sighed wearily, her classmates nearing her to ask about the boy that had rescued them, when suddenly, she felt killing intent directed at her for mere seconds.

She turned to see the twin-tailed girl from another school observing at her neutrally, which sort of intimidated her. Wannai could sense something ominous coming from that gaze, but decided to give it no importance.

She only hoped that Kamijou would be fine.

**Part 18**

Uiharu Kazari tried to open the door that kept her inside an empty room along with other Judgement members, but such action resulted futile again as for the third time, the door did not budge… at all…

"It's no use," Uiharu muttered in despair. "We are stuck in here until someone comes…"

The other members of Judgement that had the same specialization in advance hardware operation were visibly scared, so Uiharu had to act strong for them. She was really scared, yet she knew that showing that to her companions would only worsen their fear.

She couldn't tell how many hours had passed since the truck that transported them to the main terminal inside district 7 to continue their supporting operations was intercepted by unknown attackers. Armed men quickly incapacitated both Anti-Skill members using shock guns and took control of the truck they were in. Uiharu couldn't tell her current location because some masks were used to cover their faces as they were taken to an unknown location. Finally, they were left inside this medium-sized room for hours, in which Uiharu had tried to force the door open without succeeding.

Ten minutes passed, the anxiety among the other girls present in the room was increasing by each passing minute and most likely would get out of control. The Sakugawa student knew this, so she had to be careful.

"I-I'm sure the others are looking for us," She reassured, looking at her fellow members. "I think it's just a m-matter of time before they find us… so don't be afraid!"

Everyone nodded at her, a growing respect for the only of them still acting composed and centred. After that, Uiharu sat by the floor with them and continued to wait in silence.

That didn't last much.

The door was opened, alarming every Judgment agent, yet after that came confusion as they had expected for their kidnappers to appear. That wasn't the case though.

"What is super going on in here?"

Uiharu blinked upon meeting the eyes of a brown-haired girl, who sported an orange hoddie over a white t-shirt and blue hot pants. Said girl looked as equally confused as them.

"A-are you with t-them?" Uiharu stood on her feet, warily scrutinizing her. "D-don't think that y-you are going to g-get aw-w-way with it!" Even when she tried to be courageous, her stutter made obvious how nervous she was.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but I'm in a super hurry!" The unknown girl glanced at the room before leaving. "Where is that stupid dude?"

That was the last thing that Uiharu heard from the girl that simply left the door open. A minute passed as they processed what just occurred before one of the other agents of Judgment approached the opened door and peered outside.

"There is no one around. I think we can go…"

Uiharu Kazari blinked before nodding with determination.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"That boy is essential to our plans!" A man with deep blue eyes, white hair and beard of the same color shouted in exasperation upon receiving the latest update about PURE's operations. "How come one girl managed break though our security!? And how did they discover we were hiding him there?"

Seconds passed as the man, **Hiraoka Ikaru**, received a reply. Said man was known for the large industry of cosmetics that his company produced for several countries in both Asia and Europe. However, the successful business man used his large fortune to support organizations around the world, in this case, PURE.

After all, Hiraoka hated anything related to any Christian religion as it caused the death of his beloved wife and son. To say that he totally wanted to destroy the **Roman Catholic Church**, the **Anglican Church** and the **Russian Orthodox Church** was an understatement.

So if any chance arose where he could provide the resources to achieve such goal, then he would take it. This time, he had the chance to help PURE steal a massive destruction weapon that would be used against the Anglican Church.

The chance of truly achieving his goal started with becoming part of Academy City Board of Directors four months ago. He eventually gained support and influence among the other members of the board, becoming an active and respected associate of Academy City.

Yet, an unexpected intervention had crippled their plans.

"Don't give me such a pitiful excuse for an answer!" Hiraoka shouted, "Listen to me, Akumi. I have invested a large amount of money for this damn cause, so don't come to me saying such crap. You don't even know if the boy is still within the fucking building? Then move your people and retake the facilities!"

Hiraoka blinked upon the response he got over the phone.

"Fuck! I guess it's useless now…" The old man sighed. "We'll search for another gemstone then. Focus on our ace and don't lose the Five_OVER, or I'll hunt your fucking head down. Do you understand?"

Some seconds passed.

"Very well. I'll contact you later. Don't mess up again."

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Look! More unconscious people!"

"But who did this?" Uiharu asked to herself, yet her voice was loud enough for the others to hear. She examined every person they encountered on their way out of the unknown location and found out that they were beat down using physical prowess. "Aren't they our kidnappers? Thankfully, they are not dead but some still have broken arms."

"Maybe the girl that opened the door did it…"

The Judgement group stopped on their tracks and looked back at the one that made the last comment, giving her odd stares. The almost-to-fade light emitted by the bulbs on the celling illuminated the large corridor they were now in.

Considering they had no way of seeing the hour as their cells were taken from them, Uiharu could only think it was still night time or they were still deep inside the abandoned building.

"Well… as far we have seen, only those that were dressed like the people that kidnapped us are unconscious. I don't see any Anti-skill agent, Judgment member, or another party in the people around we found. So yes, maybe that girl did it as there is no one else around."

"She must be a powerful esper then," An orange-haired girl commented, "To be able to take down so many armed delinquents is no easy task, yet she apparently managed to do it somehow."

Uiharu nodded in agreement, "Whether it's that or not, we have no time to speculate. We must find our way out of this building and contact Anti-Skill as soon as we can."

The others couldn't agree more with her reasoning, obviously deciding to take that course of action. They didn't have much of a choice either way.

**o-0-O-0-o**

**Kinuhata Saiai**, operative of ITEM, stood before a door that was previously guarded by several henchmen that according to the **Man on the Phone**, were part of a group called PURE, which was responsible of the school revolutions and the theft of the **FIVE_Over Attack Unit Thorned Omen**.

It was presumed that a traitor among the Board of Directors was behind their intrusion into Academy City, also allowing a considerable force to give support to the stolen weapon in the current battle in another District.

Also, it has been reported that Sogiita Gunha, the ranked 7 among level 5, was abducted by the same enemy organization. Their purpose was still unknown, though there were still some not proven theories in discussion by the experts.

The task given to her, albeit bothersome, was to cripple their plans before they succeeded in any way possible. Her boss, Mugino Shizuri, had made clear her hatred towards the intruders as they were using a weapon that was capable of replicating her Meltdowner abilities, which led to her boss asking information to the ITEM liaison about the current events revolving the intruders of AC.

Soon, they received intel, revealing that a suspicious signal was being broadcasted in an abandoned location known as **Strange** inside district 10, as well suspicious activity in district 11. Kinuhata received the direct order of finding the source of the broadcast and find anything about them.

However, she had interrogated one of them during her incursion to their hideout, finding out that the kidnapped level 5 was being held somewhere inside this abandoned building. It was then that Mugino had told her that rescuing that annoying level 5 took priority as it would most likely, in Mugino's words, fuck up their plans… whatever they are.

Finally, Kinuhata had found a well-guarded door. After knocking out each guard with her fighting skills and her level 4 esper ability, **Offense Armor**, she warily opened the door to reveal a small room with a bed in the middle… her eyes widened upon seeing someone over it.

"Is he…?" Kinuhata removed the hood of her head to give a better look to the boy on the bed, attached to it with many bandages. A liquid was being introduced inside his body with some sort of medical system attached to his arm, which was probably causing the boy to remain unconscious. "This is supper messed-up! He was indeed captured!"

The ITEM member quickly retrieved his cell device and dialled a certain number.

"I have found him," Kinuhata informed to her leader. "Though he is apparently super drugged," She scratched her head, giving some steps around. "Sure, it will be done."

Ending the call, Kinuhata walked to the bed. The boy called Soggita Gunha lied there, at the mercy of anyone despite his status as a level 5. As he was a gemstone according to what the profile said, his kind was considered a rare element, which was of real interest to scientists for developing esper abilities.

His value as a research element was high, but for Kinuhata and ITEM, it was useless. All Mugino wanted from him was to take him out of PURE's grasp to just fuck up their plans for stealing and using a massive weapon that copied the Meltdowner ability.

The reason for ITEM's intervention was honestly childish and a bit silly, but it seemed that finding out that someone managed to replicate Mugino's powers truly pissed her off, and what was worse, a weapon that used her particle waveform high-speed cannon was destroying a whole district.

All Kinuhata could do was to obey the level 5, unless she wanted to get killed.

"How I'm gonna take him out now?" She muttered to herself. "Just when I super need Hamazura, he is not around. Such a jerk."

In that moment, a group of Judgment appeared behind ITEM's operative.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"ACHOO!" Hamazura Shiage sneezed forcefully as he and the other Skill-Out members of both Komaba and Aibatsu's faction left the facilities, while Anti-Skill quickly dispersed and secured the School Garden, "Man, I shouldn't have eaten ice-cream before coming to the ojou nest."

**o-0-O-0-o**

"W-what is happening here!?" Uiharu shouted nervously to the orange-clad girl that stood near a bed where a boy was apparently tied to. "W-w-who are you?"

The unknown brown-haired girl merely glanced at them before sitting on the bed. "You guys are from the room I opened," She observed them closely. "Judgment?"

Uiharu glanced at her armband, blinking as she did before she answered, "Y-yes… we were kidnapped by these people… I assume you are not with them, seeing that you apparently took them out."

"Maybe I did…" Kinuhata admitted, crossing her legs in a disinterested manner. "Would there be a problem if I super did it?"

Uiharu frowned, sensing her sharp undertone, "Actually, you helped us escape and defeated the terrorists, so I don't really see any problem with it," She gave one step inside the room, looking around with a hand over her chest. "Still, I-I would prefer if you identified yourself to avoid any unneeded misunderstandings."

"Can you give me a sec? I need to make a super call," Was her response while taking out her cell from a pocket. The unknown girl walked to a corner as she spoke with someone over the phone with a low voice. A minute passed and she ended the call. "You are super lucky today!"

"What do you mean?" One of the Judgments agents inquired.

"Look! This boy, who was also abducted, is actually one of the super level 5 espers," The brown-haired girl revealed, causing obvious surprise in them. "I was tasked to find and rescue him."

"How did they manage to capture a level 5?" Another Judgment agent asked, "What is the name of your organization?"

The unkown girl stood up, and walked to them, then past them, putting her hood back to cover her face. Uiharu tensed slightly as her steps echoed in the dark empty room, afraid that she may attack them.

"Let's just say that I super work for the higher-ups," She responded in a bored manner, walking away before she began to fade within the darkness of the corridor. The last words the Judgment group heard from her were… "Don't worry though; I'm gonna clear the way for you guys to leave super safely."

The girl completely faded, leaving their sight. Uiharu let out a relieved sigh and approached the bed where a level 5 rested. She scanned him and noticed a tube connected to his arm, so she quickly examined the machine. A transparent bag that carried a liquid that was being continuously introduced into the boy's system hanged at the side.

"What is this?" Thermal Hand wondered out loud, one of her companions nearing. "Yukinoha-san, do you what is this? Can we remove it?"

"Possibly…" Yukinoha examined the liquid further. "I think this is some kind of anesthesic that is keeping him unconscious. Even if we remove it now, he won't wake up any time soon."

Both girls removed carefully the tube introduced on an opening in the boy's arm, adjusting the bandage that held it attached to his limb to stop the blood from spilling out. Then, with the help of the others, Uiharu and Yukinoha put both his arms on their shoulders and moved out of the room.

"He is a bit heavy, so we will need to take turns to carry him," Yukinoha commented, the other nodded.

Uiharu hoped they would get out of this unknown location safely.

**Part 19**

School District Seven: Unknown location.

Kamijou Touma scanned his surroundings, having left School Garden through the large underground drainage system as he followed Spade, leader of the Skill-Out group Acid Snake.

During his exploration of the Tokiwadai Dorm of School Garden, Kamijou was contacted through a walkie-talkie he took from one of the mugs. A man told him that one of the two Skill-Out leaders was trying to escape through this hidden escape route, so Kamijou received quick instructions to find him.

_(If this guy is trying to escape using the drainage system, why didn't Anti-skill use it to sneak inside School Garden?) The _realization hit him. _(Then again, if Spade knew of this escape route, then using the drainage would have alerted them as it was guarded before I took them down swiftly with a surprise attack.)_

Despite that the thug was limping as he used a cane to walk, his speed was remarkable, for someone that limped anyway. It didn't take much time to Kamijou to defeat the thugs that Spade sent to him as he attempted to get away before Kamijou caught up to him.

The Acid Snake leader realized that he was not going anywhere unless he took down that irksome Judgment boy that had managed somehow to find him. Spade was irritated and tired. He managed to elude Komaba's faction upon seeing that they were going to lose the control of School Garden and now his getaway was going to be compromised.

"Shit! That weird dude told us we would succeed, yet my whole group was captured! Dammit!" Spade yelled in disgust, facing Kamijou and aiming his golden gun at him and prompting the teen to stop on his tracks. "To think that bastard would work with Anti-Skill. We should have killed the students at least!"

"Be glad you didn't, because the consequences would have been worse for you and your friends," The boy retorted, watching carefully the body language of the thug. "It's pretty stupid how you let your pride as gangs cloud your mind. It was easy to see that Komaba was working with the authorities," Kamijou shook his head mockingly, a cocky smile gracing his lips. "Yet you thought that fighting for School Garden was a crash of gangs with the goal of controlling a turf. And they called me stupid…"

Spade gritted his teeth in anger as his sarcastic tone.

"Shut up fucking kid!" He shouted, the teen was still smiling. "Who the fuck do you think you are!? I don't give a damn if you had knocked out my useless subordinates, I will make a bloody mess with you!"

"Hai hai…" Kamijou said tiredly as he yawned, waving his hand dismissively.

Spade removed the lock on his customized pistol, Kamijou readying himself.

"Stop!" Both turned to the side. A man stood before them, who had red hair and sported a dark cherry suit with a hood, a white shirt opened by the neck and a loose blue tie. Pants of the same color, an orange belt and brown shoes completed his outfit. "Before you two proceed, I would like to make this boy an offer."

"It's you…" Kamijou recognized the boy as the one that led the school revolution in the Kaisei high School, Akemi Ryouji, who happened to be the son of the leader of PURE. Unlike the first time, the redhead did not look like a thug as his messy hair was well-groomed. "If you are here, then I assume PURE is also behind the attack on School Garden."

"You are correct," He admitted uncaringly, "Somehow I knew you would get involved in our affairs again. That's why I contacted you to come here," Kamijou hardened his expression while Ryouji glanced at Spade. "Thanks by the way, Spade-kun. Both Red Falcon and Acid Snake were a great decoy… though I never expected for the biggest Skill-Out faction to intervene," His red eyes showed boredom. "Not that it matters anymore."

"You are the fucking bastard that provided us Capacity Down!?" Spade said in disbelief. "We were fucking used by you! I'll kill yo-"

Before anyone could blink, a gunshot echoed in the dark alleyway as a bullet went through Spade's skull. Kamijou observed in terror at the now lifeless body collapse to the ground. A woman soon emerged from the shadow, pointing forward her .44 Remingtom Magnum before she lowered it and approached the red head.

"Now where were we?" Ryouji continued as if nothing occurred. "Oh? I was meaning to offer you a place inside our ranks. I have witnessed your capabilities and we could use someone like you in our organization. Together… we can purify this corrupted world."

"Let me ask you two questions," Kamijou began, suppressing his anger as the stylish boy motioned him to ask them. "First… Why is Anti-Skill not surveying the underground passages of School Garden's drainage system?"

Ryouji folded both arms as the brown-haired woman that wore a similar suit observed Kamijou warily. The pale light on the ceiling barely helped to distinguish their features.

"Let's just say that someone of the highest echelons within the city agrees with our goals," He explained, his red eyes meeting the blue ones of the unfortunate teen. "So with his influences, we diverted Anti-Skill's attention from this underground area for us to use. So you see, even part of Academy City is with us, so why not join our ranks?"

"I see," Kamijou cleared his throat, "My second doubt is… what are you going to do with AUTO? Why do you need a massive destruction weapon?"

Akumi Ryouji snickered, accommodating the loose tie around his neck. If answering some questions would make the boy join them, even revealing a bit would not be harmful, but Ryouji was not sure if the boy would join them so he decided his next answer carefully.

"We need a weapon like AUTO to cleanse this world. Only with it we'll have the strength to fight the corruption that is burning our planet. It's our duty!"

"What corruption are you talking about?" Kamijou inquired sternly.

"I'll show you. You just need to come with us."

Kamijou made a thoughtful expression, crossing his arms as he decided his reply. Ryouji waited patiently, smirking as the woman by his side shot him a gaze of disproval due to her distrust of the teen.

"Sure, why not? I'm actually sick of this city anyway," Kamijou walked to him, smiling darkly. When he stood at their side, Ryouji extended a hand to him. Kamijou looked at it and then at the woman, his gaze descending to the magnum on her leg strap.

"He is…!" The woman stepped back as she tried to take out her fire weapon, realizing his hidden intention, yet it was too late. The spiky-haired teen lunged at her and delivered a quick punch on her stomach. "Arrghh!"

The powerful punch made her double over as she gasped for breath. The woman soon found her consciousness fading while the other PURE member remained stunned in utter shock.

The boy that observed the now unconscious woman slowly raised his head, turning to him with a cold expression painted on his face. His eyes held a noticeable trace of wrath, which seemed to fill the teen entirely.

"You just killed someone in cold blood…" Kamijou began, fully facing him. "You really thought I would join someone like that?" The boy made a fist, raising it slightly. "Even if he did wrong, he did not deserve to die. You used him and yet…"

"Their life served a purpose," Ryouji interrupted, looking at him seriously. "Sometimes we need lemon to make lemonade," Kamijou gritted his teeth. "He would have killed me anyway if my girl wouldn't have done it."

Kamijou shut his eyes closed in indignation. The boy before him had caused the death of many Skill-Out members, both allied and enemy ones for the sake of their plans. People that moved the strings from the darkness and manipulated the life of people like it was nothing, not caring if they brought suffering and death to them.

"You are going down…" Kamijou threatened darkly.

"We'll see about that…" The redhead sneered as two large men appeared from behind him, wearing large black coats and metal gloves. "I would certainly like to test your fighting skills myself but I can't spare any more time to you. I had made my offer and you rejected it. Our business ends here."

Kamijou narrowed his gaze, making a quick strategy to get rid of the two bulky men. He was inside a corridor that probably extended across all AC's drainage system, he had to capture him before he got away again.

"I hope we won't meet again," Ryouji said flatly, turning around. "Oh, and pick my girlfriend when you two are done with him. I wouldn't want to get her pissed for abandoning her," As he said those last words, the redhead began to walk away.

The two dark-haired bulky men moved to engage, Kamijou gave some steps backs, noting that if he got hit by those metal gloves, his body would get easily crushed. Running away was not an option unless he wanted that bastard to escape again.

_(Not again!)_

Kamijou took the offensive, dashing forward. The first in line tried to land a hit on him, yet Kamijou side-stepped planting his foot on the wall as he moved across it swiftly. After leaving the first attacker behind him, Kamijou jumped back to the ground and let his body slide on the ground, passing under the second man.

"Sorry guys, but can't waste time with you," Kamijou snickered, glancing over his shoulder.

Soon, Ryouji came into his sight. The redhead turned around upon hearing the coming steps and widened his eyes in shock.

"You gotta be kidding me!" He yelled as he accelerated his steps until he was running away from the Judgment member. "Useless morons! I was supposed to get out of here while you took…"

Kamijou smirked, "Too big, and too slow. You should have brought more people with you."

"I should! I never imagined you would get past them," Ryouji shouted as he continued to run away. The spiky-haired boy gave him a bad feeling. There was more to him that he was letting on. "Just who the fuck are you!?"

Kamijou Touma smiled wickedly at his question, running even faster.

"I'm the one that will destroy all your messed-up illusions!"

**Part 20**

Two boys stormed though AC's streets of District seven. It was already 7:37 in the morning, yet there were barely people around. That until both arrived to the area where the Terminal of the **Groundliners** was located.

After the approval of the project of this advanced train during the last **Academic Research Exhibition Assembly**, the Groundliner was created as a mean to connect every District of the City with a terminal located in each one. Using **Semipublic AR**, every part of the train was made with large monitors, where many different services were offered to those that used it by having a varied sort of information of their interest added on the walls and floor, even the back of each seat.

After the successful creation of this technology, used first on a large shopping mall in Russia as a massive scale test, it was used on the Groundliner to see the response of the public to such technology inside the City perimeters.

The result: It was positive.

Of course, only residents of Academy City could use the Semipublic AR as it worked with the photo on the ID of each resident, where the skin, hair and eye colors were taken from. This way, people could use this system on a personal level where others would not be able to see the same information on the monitors, even if two different persons looked at the same screen.

Privacy was always one of the main priorities when creating technology to display information, which is why it was called semipublic. Even the level of isolation would be set by each individual user. AR came from **Augmented Reality**.

Kamijou Touma glanced at the terminal building before his gaze returned to the redhead he was chasing. It resulted a surprise that Akumi Ryouji had managed to elude his grasp so far, though he could tell that his speed was decreasing.

_(He is heading to the terminal? Nice try but you won't get away, smartass!)_

The member of PURE stopped abruptly and run to the Groundliner terminal as Kamijou predicted, so he followed suit as he moved between many students and workers. It would be useless to shout or warn anyone of them of the man he was after as it most likely would make him lose valuable time. He could only run and capture the member of PURE by himself.

Kamijou entered the Terminal and noticed the redhead already going to the area where the train was located. A message soon was heard across the entire building.

"**The Groundliner is about to depart. One minute is left before the doors are close so please leave the dispatch platform. The next train should arrive within an hour, please wait patiently for the next transport.**"

"Shit," Kamijou cursed as he sprinted to the platform where the train was located. A rail officer soon appeared and attempted to stop him but Kamijou showed him the green armband he carried. "I'm Judgment! I'm following a suspect!"

"Y-yes sir, let us give you support," Kamijou ignored that and headed to the train as he saw Ryouji entering it. "W-wait! The train is about to depart! It's dangerous!"

Kamijou dashed forward and managed to get inside the advanced train before it closed its doors. Soon he noticed the announcements being displayed by his feet, making him blink before he noticed them on the walls of the train.

That aside, the passengers looked at him oddly but he shrugged that off when he spotted Ryouji, who made his way through the people inside the passenger car to the next one. Kamijou moved quickly, shoving aside anyone on his way.

The automatic doors were opened as he neared. Kamijou entered quickly and notice he was inside the dining car of the Groundliner. Multiple announcements about food appeared on the walls and the ground, which were ignored as Kamijou dashed to the next car of the train.

A man that seemed the security of the train lied unconscious by the next automatic doors that remained open due to the man lying near it. Kamijou leaned and examined him, he was breathing so Ryouji mast have beat the guard down.

Passing over the unconscious guard, Kamijou entered another crowded passenger car. The boy in the suit tried to advance but stopped upon seeing his pursuer as he took a handgun from inside his cherry blazer, shooting at Kamijou without caring to wound the passengers.

The first shot brought everyone in the car to the ground in panic, shouts of fear erupting from them as Kamijou took cover from the gun fire. Seeing that, Ryouji advanced to the next car.

As the doors close behind the redhead, Kamijou stood on is feet, "Is anyone hurt?" He asked aloud, but the passengers just remained silent, only shaking their heads in response. They were visibly scared, but it was just that. Kamijou was relieved no one was hurt.

Not wasting any more time, he continued to the next car, though this time more warily as Kamijou knew that his target carried a fire weapon. The doors opened, revealing another passenger car, yet this one was empty, with the sole exception of two security guards lying in the middle. A pool of blood was beginning to form around them.

The boy gritted his teeth and gave one step forward but quickly threw himself to the side, taking cover behind the sits as more shots came from the redhead, who apparently waited for the unfortunate boy as Ryouji hid by the seats for a chance to hill him.

The monitor in the back of the seat in front of him displayed a discount of male sunglasses as he saw himself wearing them, similar to the ones Tsuchimicado used. Kamijou sighed and ignored the image, raising his head slightly to only pull it down as more bullets impacted around him. Kamijou soon heard the redhead cursing and rose quickly.

"A assume you are out of ammo," Kamijou said seriously. "There is no way I'm letting you go! You killed those two guards! Innocent people! I will not forgive you!" He roared angrily.

Ryouji threw the gun at him and turned around, moving to the next car, yet he stopped near the path between the cars and jumped to the edge of the ceiling of the next wagon, getting on the roof the train's car. Kamijou did the same as the redhead run over the roof of the wagon to the next, jumping between each car.

Kamijou noticed that Ryouji was using his cell as he chased after him. The red-haired male came to a halt and turned to him, causing Kamijou to also stop on his tracks. Both stood at the opposite edges of the ceiling of the car as they panted slightly.

"You are just one annoying bastard, you know?" Ryouji said with an amused expression, pocketing his cell. "I never met some with such perseverance."

"I told you. I'm not letting you escape from this. I will take you to the authorities," Kamijou soon recovered his breath, standing firm. The train advanced at high speed as a distant sound reached his earshot. The boy readied himself as a chopper approached their location.

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 04

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 07

* * *

Not even a minute passed as the chopper, which was apparently under control of PURE, passed above them. Imagine Breaker glared at the redhead who raised a hand in a challenging manner.

"I'm sick of running, so let's settle this now! My ride is waiting," Ryouji smirked.

Both males stood with firm foot, strong currents of wind moving wildly their clothes as both focused, their stances ready. Suddenly it began.

Both teens dashed forward, running at high speed across the train's roof. Both delivered a punch forward, fist crashing against fist. Ryouji flinched slightly, yet his opponent did not show any sign of receiving damage. He backed away a made a swift sweep kick to make him fall, yet it resulted unsuccessful as Kamijou just backflipped.

Ryouji soon rose to his feet and made a roundhouse kick, which Kamijou countered with one of his own, much to this surprise. Again, it seemed that only the redhead received damage from the crashing of kicks.

The chopper of PURE appeared once again as it moved at their side while the train continued to advance. The door at its left side opened, revealing the woman Kamijou knocked out with a punch. This time she carried a sniper riffle, and looked quite pissed.

That was not good.

"Ryouji-sama! Get away from him, I'm gonna blow his head off!"

Certainly not good.

Kamijou took this chance and dashed forward, ducking under a hit as he jumped and twisted his body at the same time to send a punch to the redhead's face. The pointy-haired boy grabbed him by the collar and used him to cover from a possible sniper shot.

The hold did not last much as Ryouji gave a kick to Kamijou's stomach, making him stagger briefly as the boy decided to roll to the side, a large bullet passing at mere inches from his head. The woman quickly prepared another shot as both boy continued to exchange blows.

Kamijou blocked a punch, and delivered a haymaker, making his opponent lose his balance. The teen blinked as he moved his head to the side, another bullet passing at mere inches from his face. The boy shivered slightly at that.

"He dodged again!?" The woman gasped in disbelief. "Who the hell is this boy!?" The chopper soon ascended to the sky as a large pillar came to the pilot's sight.

The son of the leader of PURE gritted his teeth and lunged at Kamijou again, sending quick jabs, which were avoided with easy by him until an opening appeared. Kamijou used this opportunity to give a backfist strike to the side of Ryouji's head while spinning around him to avoid another attack.

"Dammit!" Ryouji gave a step back and looked at the helicopter that was nearing again, "Shoot the damn punk!"

Kamijou made an amused smile, before observing at the chopper. His smile was erased instantly when he noticed that the woman now carried an assault rifle, involuntarily making him step back.

_(Shit!)_

"Die, you piece of shit!" She roared, pulling the trigger of her weapon.

The boy quickly spun around and dashed in the opposite direction, the bullets impacting on the train as she moved her aim to him. The boy suddenly tripped with the metal floor, which he just noticed was displaying more announcements as he fell to the side of the train. His quick reflexes allowed him to grab the edge of the train, using all his strength to keep his grip on the train's border.

Fortunately, as he remained hanged on the side of the train, the woman couldn't aim at him. However, Ryouji wasted no time and moved to stomp his hands, which he did repeatedly, but Kamijou resisted the pain.

"Fall already, dirty scum!"

Kamijou moved his right hand before it was stomped again and grabbed his attacker from the pants, pulling him forward. Ryouji lost his balance and fell forward, off the train's roof, but managed to grab Kamijou by his shirt.

The chopper moved at the other side of the train and the other door was opened. The woman aimed at the teen but stopped herself from shooting upon realizing that if she shot him, his boyfriend would also fall and die.

"G-get near!" Ryouji yelled desperately, gripping hard the shirt, his life depended on it after all. "I'm going to die! Get the fucking chopper closer dammit!"

The weight added made the already difficult task of maintaining his grip of the train's roof, but he resisted, noticing the chopper was approaching. Kamijou knew he had to act swiftly when Ryouji tried to get on the helicopter.

It did not take much time for the helicopter to fly at their side as the redhead grabbed the landing skid, finally letting off Kamijou as the boy pulled his body upward. Before the girl could shoot, Kamijou threw his cell towards her and impacted on her head.

"Agg!" She cried out in pain, and Kamijou blinked. That actually worked much to his surprise.

The pointy-haired boy then breathed deeply and jumped towards the chopper, also grabbing the landing skid to keep himself from falling. The helicopter lost its balance due to the sudden weight added to it while the pilot tried his best to regain control of the aircraft.

Unfortunately, the tail rotor of the helicopter crashed with a large lightning post, causing the helicopter to go out of control. Both males used all their strength to keep themselves on the chopper as it moved wildly, getting away from the railway of the Groundliner.

"That boy did it! We are dead!" The woman shouted frantically, grabbing the door to keep herself inside the chopper. "We are dead!"

The pilot, member of PURE directed the soon-to-crash flying vehicle to the area where a certain iron railway bridge was located. Fire burned from the tail of the chopper and it was spreading to the main body.

"Our only choice is to jump to the water, so brace yourselves!"

Upon passing over the bridge, the pilot lowered the chopper enough for them jump. Soon, the pilot quickly left the cabin and together with the woman leaped off from the chopper, followed by both boys as they let go of the landing skid.

Kamijou saw the water coming closer until his body splashed violently on it. He went deep into the water and quickly swum back at the surface, gasping for breath. He saw three people floating, the woman went near Ryouji.

"Did you call the reinforcements?" He asked to his girlfriend.

"Y-yes… they should be coming soon."

_(Aww… damnit…)_

The sound of more choppers were heard, and soon, ships getting near. Kamijou paled as Ryouji smiled evilly. That boy caused him more trouble that he could have imagined, but the time to get rid of him had come. He was relieved.

That did not last much as every PURE agent saw their hopes getting crushed mercilessly.

"**This is Anti-Skill! We have you surrounded. Do not try to escape.**"

Yomikawa Aiho spoke with a megaphone, as three Anti-Skill Six Wings surrounded them. The woman, who was on Tsukino's personal helicopter, decided to come by herself as she received the report that a certain boy was engaging with the enemy over one of the Groundliners.

"W-what happened to our people…" The woman said, disturbed.

"Did you really think that the police would stand idle while you roamed freely in district seven?" Spoke Kamijou with an amused tone. "I'm sure your reinforcements were taken down."

"No way…" Muttered the pilot in disbelief.

The Anti-Skill watercrafts finally reached them as provisional ladders were thrown for Kamijou and the others to climb. As soon as Kamijou got over the ship, Tessou Tsuzuri, the timid member of Yomikawa's squad, offered him a towel, which he accepted gratefully.

"Thanks," Kamijou said, the green-haired woman blushed at his warm tone.

"D-d-don't m-mention it…" Tessou stuttered slightly.

Kamijou then raised his gaze to the only chopper without AI, spotting Yomikawa as she looked at him proudly from the sky. The teen grinned at her rising a thumb.

The busty woman blinked twice before she responded with a thumb of her own, smiling sheepishly. The three members of PURE that were already being taken into custody walked near them.

"You should have joined us," Said Ryouji to him as he passed at his side.

"You should have thought twice before messing with my city," Kamijou responded, not even sparing a glance to the redhead. "Where is Tsukino?"

"I'm right here, moron."

Kamijou turned to see the white-haired girl sitting on a black metal box, with legs crossed.

"I need to ask you something," Kamijou said after sitting at her side, his gaze on the sky. "Where is AUTO?"

She blinked, "Why do you ask?" She narrowed her gaze, "You have done enough for today. Don't tell me you…"

"I want to know how is the situation," Kamijou shifted his gaze, tired but sharp eyes directed at her. Tsukino blushed, blinking as she felt uncomfortable for the first time with him. "Can't I?"

The white-haired girl sighed as the watercrafts began to move towards to the nearest shore. The choppers also began to head back to the heliport. The sun shone brightly on the sky, yet Kamijou noticed black clouds in the distance. He stared at them before he realized it was smoke.

"School district 18 is a battlefield now. Our forces are holding AUTO and PURE's small attack force. Though I can't tell for how much… I don't understand why the head of the AUTO project received an order of not interfering."

"Even if AUTO is a powerful weapon, I'm sure AC military weapons could have taking it down. I mean, it's just one big robot."

"AUTO is a FIVE_Over," The girl revealed, yet the boy still seemed confused. "A FIVE_Over is a weapon created to replicate and exceed the powers of the seven level 5 espers of the city."

Kamijou was startled; the fact that a machine could replicate esper skills was not possible. If he remembered correctly, espers were capable of using psychic abilities after they created their own personal reality while undergoing the Power Curriculum Program, which was unique to every individual and was the foundation of esper powers.

"If you are thinking that something like that is not possible, then you are wrong," Kamijou shivered as the woman had read his mind somehow. She was not an esper, right? "And no, I didn't use any sort of esper skill to read you mind. Your face speaks for yourself."

The boy wondered if he was that easy to read. Two times in a row she had said what he was thinking. It was honestly scary; he remained silent as if to let her continue, hoping she would read his intention too.

"FIVE-Over's principles are based off macro engineering technology instead of quantum mechanics, better known as Personal Reality. Creating such technology was no easy task, but with the collaboration of all the fields of study, the research done on esper's Personal Reality and the data gathered by the system scans, scientists were able to recreate the espers abilities by manipulating the distortion of espers' own micro worlds and controlling their microscopic observations of the world to the point that even Level 5s were not out of reach."

"Alien language detected," Kamijou said blankly. "Care to translate?"

Tsukino observed him in silence before giggling, "Let's just say that FIVE_Overs use a device that can recreate the phenomenon of Personal reality using really advanced technology. With that, these machines could use level 5 powers."

"Oh… that simplifies it…" He muttered. "Misaki was right…"

"However, AUTO is special. While other FIVE_Overs are powered with large batteries, this machine carries an AIM Absorption Contraption attached to the back of its neck," Tsukino took out her tactile phone, showing him the schematics of the weapon, which Kihara Amata provided before he received the orders of not interfering. "This device absorbs constantly AIM, weakening all espers that remained closed to it."

"What if AUTO got out of Academy City? Would it still function?"

"No, not at all. AUTO was originally created with the purpose of having a high-capable weapon to defend the city, yet with its massive destructing capabilities, the higher-ups decided it could not be used inside the city as it would cause more destruction than any actual threat."

Kamijou nodded as he absorbed the information, "I guess it was abandoned in that storage because without any AIM, AUTO would be just a useless piece of junk outside AC."

"You got that right," She gave him a tiny smile. "It did not work outside the city, and it was forbidden to use it inside the City's perimeter too. So basically, AUTO could not be used."

"If that is the case, why would PURE go all through this to steal it? Do they want to destroy Academy City?"

"No," She stood up and looked at him. "Actually, AUTO is making its way toward district 23, where all airlines companies as well as installations for the research of aeronautics and space development are located," She made a humming sound and spoke again. "They will probably try to take AUTO out of our city from there."

Kamijou raised an eyebrow, "Do they know that AUTO is useless without AIM?"

"Yes. That is the reason they kidnapped the number seven of the level 5 espers, Soggita Gunha, who was rescued by a friend of yours I think. He is a gemstone that releases considerable amounts of AIM. They were meaning to use him as the battery of AUTO outside the city."

"They had it well planned it seems…"

Kamijou averted his faze to the ground, musing about every piece of information revealed. This unknown group was seeking to destroy the Anglican Church, whatever that was, and then attack the Vatican. Why would some want to do something like that? And why go this far to accomplish it?

Kamijou was not sure if it would be a good idea to reveal that to Tsukino or the authorities, at least not yet. The voice of the girl near him took the boy out of his musings.

"Hard to believe isn't it?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 08

* * *

He sighed, crossing his arms under the white towel, "It is… so why can't AC's forces destroy AUTO? Which level 5 ability is it replicating?"

"One and a half," She responded, earning a confused expression out of him. "While other FIVE_Overs recreated specific esper abilities and improved them, AUTO was created with the capability of using one skill perfectly and an application of another one, the latter was only used for defensive purposes."

"And they are?" He asked, already knowing half of the answer, yet confirmation was always welcomed.

"AUTO can replicate the Meltdowner ability of the number 4, Mugino Shizuri," She confirmed his doubts, much to his dismay. "This means that AUTO can create powerful high-speed beams capable of melting just about anything, which by the way those emit strong heat enough to cause explosions on anything volatile and burn everything near them."

Kamijou was sure about something now. He did not want, under any circumstances, to meet the girl called Mugino Shizuri. To just imagine that she would attack him with those beams brought a cold down his spine.

"What is the application of the other one?"

Tsukino folded her arms, "AUTO was installed with an advance AI interface that is capable of making complex calculations in order to make the other ability work," Kamijou tilted his head slightly as if urging her to continue. "…AUTO can recreate the same skill that the number One uses, which is called Redirection."

"Redirection?" He repeated.

"Yes. With the advanced IA that was installed in the mainframe of AUTO, it could calculate all minimum required forces to create some sort of barrier that redirects anything that comes in contact with it. Thus, this barrier worked with a filter that could identify anything harmful to AUTO, and push it away. Bullets, bombs, electricity, even the beams of the Meltdowner could be redirected in the same direction they came. This barrier had the same properties such as the one from Accelerator, but there were some slight differences in how they functioned."

"I totally understand now why it's giving the authorities so many problems…" He commented. "But there should be a countermeasure for it."

"There is but we don't know it because the higher-ups are… fucking trolls," She cursed under her breath. "Unlike the number one that uses his own AIM dispersion field as base for this filter against attacks to work, AUTO generates its own barrier, which I think it's created by using the AIM it absorbs."

Kamijou was shocked that such ability could exist, and even more that the strongest of Academy City used it. It was not really hard to imagine why he was that powerful if basically any sort of attack was useless against him.

"So how are you planning to stop PURE if AUTO can't be destroyed?"

"Anti-Skill's orders are to fend off their advance, not destroy it," She informed, a subtle trace of ire on her tone. "We can just hold AUTO until the Higher-Ups give us a new order and a plan to destroy that damn weapon."

_(What are the board of directors planning?) _He wondered, realizing that there was more than met the eye in their actions. Something important was at stake apparently. Maybe they didn't want AUTO to be destroyed, so they were formulating a plan to deactivate it somehow. _(It's absurd that such a large intruder force got inside Academy City like it was nothing…)_

"So as long as AUTO receives AIM, Redirection will protect it?" The boy stood up and removed the towel from his shoulders. Tsukino observed his eyes, they showed realization. "What if all the AIM it receives was destroyed… or negated? How much time would it function without its fuel?"

Tsukino looked at him suspiciously. She could already guess his intentions by asking her about AUTO. She was worried, and it was surprising for her that she would feel this way with him. Maybe she was… No, that couldn't be, Tsukino could not accept it… yet.

"What is your point?" She inquired sternly.

"Answer me," He said in a serious manner.

"…It would stop working instantly. All its mechanisms would not work either, including its esper capabilities," She stopped briefly, feeling a bit nervous. "Our weaponry would be capable of destroying AUTO, although its structure was also made to withstand great physical damage, so a good shot of a tank should be enough to blow it into pieces as long as redirection is not active."

"I see…" Kamijou put a hand under his chin as he looked thoughtful. "I may have a plan to stop it, but I'm gonna need your help."

She knew it, "Explain yourself," After seeing Yomikawa getting all depressed after his first disappearance, the whitehead wasn't feeling like letting him do more reckless stuff. Still, she had to hear what he was planning.

"Before that, I want you to answer me honestly," Kamijou looked at her intently, "How much do you know about Disciplinary Action? I feel like you are hiding something."

She hesitated, her eyes darting, "I assume they did something you don't approve in district 22," His gaze darkened. "What happened?"

The boy sat again, making a fist with such force that his knuckles became white, but soon he breathed deeply, letting his anger dissipate. Tsukino took a sit by him this time, glancing briefly at the Anti-Skill officers that prepared to land by the shore.

"All captured members of PURE we killed by them. They were unarmed and had them all kneeling before they shot them to death," He gritted his teeth, anger rising again. "If they are the police, how could they do something like that!?"

The girl sighed, putting her hand over his, "You don't know how much I tried to expulse that faction out from Anti-skill, but part of the board of directors find them useful. They were nothing but a bunch of extremists until they began to receive funding, information and technology from their sympathizers," She pressed his hand slightly, causing him to raise and startled gaze at her, "Before we knew it, they were documents that affiliated them to us."

Kamijou observed her for a moment. Her gold eyes were fixated on the floor, she trembled slightly, her voice clearly sounded upset, and at the same time, it held impotence.

"It's not my business to deal with that, but I needed to hear that from you," He patted her head lightly, she blinked and smiled insincerely.

"I'm not a kid, you know," She retorted, elbowing him playfully as he chuckled, "So what is your plan?"

His expression hardened, "Well, this is not much of a plan but I need the assistance of either the Meltdowner or the Railgun," He said observing his right hand. "Preferably Misaka Mikoto as I already know her."

"Why do you need them?"

"Because they carry enough destruction powers to destroy AUTO. We can't have a tank get near it if there is an army backing that robot."

"Okay… I can contact either of them, but I think that Mugino Shizuri is not going to hear me. That girl caused me trouble and she detests Anti-Skill anyway."

"…Call Misaka-san then…" He noticed that the three PURE members were being taken to the shore and into an armored van of Anti-Skill. "I didn't really want to put her inside a battlefield but if we want to bring this chaos to an end, we have no choice."

"You do know that redirection will repel her lightning-based attacks, right?" She asked suspiciously.

"I suspected it, but her most powerful attack should do it," He gave an odd empty smile, making Tsukino frown. "After all, when she unleashes it, AUTO will be temporarily deactivated. It's thanks to you I can understand my Imagine Breaker a bit more… so you see…"

Tsukino stood up, alarmed, "Wait a minute, are you… Ouch!" The boy rose to his feet and smacked her head. This was the first time Kamijou had managed to land a hit on her, which he couldn't achieve during their training sessions. "Why are you…"

Her lips stopped abruptly at his distant gaze, his sad smile.

**Part 21**

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 05

* * *

"Fufufu…" Frenda Seivelun smiled darkly, cold eyes directed at their target as she played with her long blond hair. "In the end, people that misuse their power and influence always reach an inevitable end. Won't you agree Mugino?"

The man before the blond and a brown-haired girl glared at both.

"So this is it, huh… They managed to uncover me," Hiraoka Ikaru, member of the board of director said grudgingly. "I expected it, but not this soon."

"That's what happens when you try mess with this stupid city using my fucking abilities," Mugino Shizuri said, sporting a playful yet aggressive smile. "You are dead, asshole."

The man with white hair and beard sat on his desk, taking out a cigar, which he lighted. Mugino and Frenda looked at him with amusement.

"At least let me enjoy my last cigar," He said with an uncaring tone as Mugino sat on his desk and crossed her legs. "What happened with all my security?"

Frenda jumped sweetly as she said, "You wouldn't want to look, I assure you."

"No one imagined that you would be the one behind all the mess occurring around," Mugino leaned to him, smiling evilly, "But we finally got you, scumbag."

"In the end, ITEM always takes care of the trash inside the higher echelons of the city. Even those inside the board of directors are not exception. They gain too much power, we act. They messed-up, we act," Frenda tapped Hiraoka's shoulder in a mischievous manner. "You messed-up and even dared to use a weapon with the same abilities as Mugino, so basically, you signed you own death sentence."

"I have money, I'll pay you."

Mugino Shizuri made a twisted expression, causing both Hiraoka and Frenda to flinch; she stood up, her murderous gaze directed at the old man.

"And old fart like you needs to fucking shut up!" Green orbs appeared around her, Frenda quickly running as far as she could out of the room. "I don't need money. I only need to dispose of all shitty traitors. Your kind is the worst of sort of trash!"

Hiraoka paled as the orbs of green light became even more intense.

He knew that his life would be taken today.

**Part 22**

Kamijou Touma, rookie of the 177 branch of Judgment, unfortunate teen and carrier of the unknown power that resided in his right hand, the Imagine Breaker, stood on the roof of a tall abandoned building.

Current location: Remains of School District 18.

Tsukino Yui had taken him to the battlefield were two forcers were crashing, Anti-Skill and PURE. Smoke rose from everywhere. Tall structures had collapsed across the district as fire spread across the ones that were still standing. The sound of gunfire and explosions echoed all around him. Multiple choppers, planes, tanks, powered suits continuously arrived to the battle field to hold the line.

Soon, Kamijou managed to see a large form walking slowly as many orbs of green light and missiles were shot by it. It was AUTO, the massive weapon stolen by PURE. All missiles shot toward the large robot were simply repelled upon reaching it, PURE armed members advanced slowly through the ruined streets of the district.

AUTO war far away and Kamijou needed to get close to it.

The cell Tsukino gave him made a beep sound.

"Touma-chan?" The voice of the voluptuous blonde Shokuhou Misaki came through it. "Where are you? We thought that you were coming back with that girl but…"

"I'm somewhere else," He said, giving some steps to the edge of the rooftop. "Is Misaka-san with you?"

Her response took some second to come, "Why are you asking about her?" Her voice held irritation. "She left 20 minutes ago with Shirai-san when she received a call. I thought it was you who called her."

"I see," Kamijou guessed that Tsukino had already contacted her. "Who told you I had this cell?" She let a soft nervous chuckle. "Oh… how many times I have to tell you to…"

"I don't care," Kamijou raised an eyebrow. "If it's to find you, I will do anything. For you Touma-chan, I will do anything…" She paused. "…Are you still mad with me?"

The boy sighed wearily, looking nostalgic. While he had forgotten about the girl that was close to him in the past due to Misaki's abilities, he could remember all the things he did with her as also his time with the blonde came into mind. If it wasn't for that terrible incident, the three of them could have been friends, yet that was not going to happen… Not anymore…

"I forgive you," He said. "I forgive you Misaki. I'm sorry for threating you like I did…"

"…Touma-chan…" Her voice broke. "I… I want to see you… I'm glad… but I feel like something bad is going to happen…" He could hear her sobbing slightly. "I hoped that we would be face to face when you forgave me… but I'm still happy…"

Kamijou sighed again, feeling a bit depressed.

"I... like you Misaki," He confessed all of a sudden. "You were my best friend, and I still think that after what happened. That's why I like you a lot…"

There was no response, but Kamijou waited. He could only wait.

"You… do? You really do?" He could sense her joy in her tone, but she gasped, as if she realized something. "Why are you telling me this, Touma-chan? What is happening?"

Kamijou looked at the distance, the smoke and fire had turned the sky red, maybe he was too tired and his eyes were not seeing well. Flares were illuminating the battlefield as if fire was raining. Despite the current circumstances, he felt oddly calm.

"Misaki…" He began. "I knew it as destiny, and at the same time, I knew it as my only choice," He stopped again. "I'm misfortune's fool, dammit…" His expression became serious. "That is why I have to say good-bye now. Thank you Misaki, for all you did for me."

"W-wait Touma-chan! What are you-"

Kamijou ended the call and yawned, stretching his arms. He then observed once more the battlefield before him as he felt the elastic taping under his shirt and legs working. It was amazing how agile and strong he felt with it.

**_Flashback_**

_"This is it?" Kamijou asked as the whitehead took from inside a large furniture some sort of elastic taping as well as some metal plates and protective wear. Tessou Tsuzuri helped her superior bring the items to the boy. The three were inside in one of the many changing rooms for the Anti-Skill personnel._

_"Yes. If your plan is to get near AUTO, you will need to do it by the fallen rooftops. A normal human with no abilities such as you would not be able to use the rooftops to reach it, but if you used this, I'm sure you would be able to move undetected by the enemy."_

_"How exactly does this work? Should I just put them on?"_

_She put the items on the bench, then looking him with a red face, "Before I explain anything, you are gonna have to remove your clothes…"_

_"Wut?" He was startled for obvious reasons._

_"You have to make me repeat it?" She and Tessou blushed. "I'm gonna put this in your legs, shoulders and chest for protection," She pointed at the protective shoulder supports, leg protectors and a vest. "And over them, the Hard Taping."_

_"What is Hard Taping? How can it help him get near AUTO while avoiding the battlefield?" Asked Tessou, confused._

_"It's an ultrasonic wave elastic taping of military use created to improve mobility and performance of Powered Suits," She explained, and she could easily tell by their dumb expressions that the woman was lost._

_"A-A-Are you planning for him to use a p-powered suit? It's not a b-bad idea, but h-he is just a student... I don't think he will be able to operate one," Tessou commented._

_"Also, a powered suit would be easily detected," Kamijou added._

_"Let's just say that these can be used on human bodies to improve mobility too. The taping can enhance and reinforce the joints to increase his agility and strength," She revealed and looked at him in a serious manner. "I don't know where Kamijou heard of the Hard Taping but it does work directly on people."_

_"B-but only powered suits possess the security m-measures to avoid any damage on the person that uses it," The green-haired officer argued, worried about the teen. "Using the taping directly c-could put a heavy strain on his b-body!"_

_"I know that…" Tsukino retorted and pointed her thumb at him. "And he does too. Despite the after effects, he still is willing to use it. If he is resolute to were it, then who am I to refuse to help him?"_

_Tessou could not understand her reasoning. The life of this boy was at stake, and she was even planning to let him gear near AUTO for who knows the reasons. Even if that girl was her superior inside Anti-Skill, as a responsible adult, Tessou was not gonna let that boy use such dangerous objects, let alone allow him to infiltrate the area that the terrorist forces controlled._

_"K-Kamijou-san!? P-please come to your senses! It's too dangerous!" She stood in front of him. "Have you even told taichou about this?"_

_The boy everted his gaze aside, confirming her fear. Suddenly, the boy took out his customized stun gun and used it on her._

_"Kya!" The nervous agent screamed in surprise and literal utter shock… _

_Kamijou quickly grabbed Tessou's unconscious form before it hit the ground and gently put her over the bench as Tsukino moved the objects to have enough space for the woman to fit._

_"I'm sorry," He apologized despite knowing that she couldn't hear him. Simply said, there was no way he was gonna let Yomikawa know what he was going to do._

_"I never expected that you would do that…" Tsukino bit her lip. "She is right… you don't have to do this."_

_"But I will," He answered sharply._

_Tsukino sighed. The only thing she could do was to help him in any way she could, and she somehow knew that whatever he was planning to do, he would succeed."_

_Kamijou removed all his clothes with the exception of his boxers, mildly blushing as he did. He noticed the girl blushing in embarrassment as well, which made it all the more awkward._

_"O-okay… put the protective gear," She approached him and gave him the objects, receiving a second latter a questioning look. "What? I have to be here to see if you are putting on the gear correctly."_

_The boy sighed and put on the shoulder supports, leg and knee protectors, and the vest that would protect his chest. He noticed a couple of odd-looking shoes near on the floor._

_"Put them on too," She advised. "These shoes carry protective wear inside and are covered in thin metal plates to avoid your feet from getting destroyed. They are a bit heavy, but it shouldn't be a problem once you use the Hard Taping."_

_The boy did just that and like she said, they were heavy. After putting the protective gear, she grabbed the tapings and enveloped each protected limb, then the chest and finally his shoulders. _

_"It should be a couple of minutes before you feel the effects."_

_Kamijou used this time to put back on his uniform. Tsukino couldn't help smiling as the boy seemed to have a stronger build than before. He looked slightly older._

_He blinked, giving a step forward._

_"Wow…" He whispered, raising his hands as he looked at his pants. There was this inner feeling, this strength building up. It was amazing._

_"You need to be careful if you go from standstill to high speed as there is a risk of pulled or torn muscles," She advised, sitting on the empty spot of the bench, glancing sideways at the unconscious Tessou. "I suggest you increase your speed gradually to avoid pulling too much strain to your body."_

_Kamijou looked at the ground, amused, startling Tsukino, before he turned to her. _

_"Thank you," He said with a kind tone. "I will stop them, don't worry."_

_"I'm sure you will… but at what cost?" She folded his arms, frowning. "Just don't die on me. If you do, I will get blamed, you know," He chuckled. "Just… be careful, and get out of there if things become complicated."_

_"I'm sure I will," He smirked._

**_End of Flashback_**

Kamijou's mind returned back to reality as beeps came from the cell he gripped with his right hand. It was the same number Misaki used to contact him. The boy rejected the call and dialled a certain number.

"Otohime…? Is that you…?"

**o-0-O-0-o**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 09

* * *

Kamijou Touma had remained sat over a piece of debris for several minutes as he planned his next course of action carefully. AUTO was advancing, the meltdowner beams destroying anything in its path as the leader of PURE, Akumi Tatsuo stood over its shoulder, laughing maniacally as he and his force advanced slowly but surely across the district.

Using binoculars, he spotted Misaka alongside Shirai, and to his shock, Saten arriving to where the main forces of Anti-Skill had concentrated. Also Yomikawa was present and she looked nervous; she seemed to have deployed some squads to find him, but it would be futile as he was far away from their sight.

Also, some sort of black machines were engaging with the armored suits that PURE used to back up AUTO. The battle of both forces was violent.

He knew the time to act was at hand, but he felt a bit fearful. He was about to get inside the enemy territory, where any man or woman he encountered would try to kill him without any hesitation. The most dangerous situation he had ever faced.

His plan was after all, reach AUTO's AIM Absorption device attached to the back of the giant robot and simply lay his hand over it. A certain meeting with a girl that could record AIM fields and track them down, told him that he could interfere and negate any AIM that came in contact with the Imagine Breaker.

The boy recalled that event as he talked with Tsukino and came to the conclusion that if he negated the AIM that AUTO absorbed, then it would be deactivated and its redirection barrier would stop working, giving them the chance of destroying AUTO once and for all. Using Hard Taping, Kamijou was planning to advance between the rooftops now that he had enhanced speed. He closed his eyes and opened them.

_It was then that he stood up, inhaled and exhaled deeply as his gaze became resolute. He raised the Imagine Breaker and made a fist, looking at the tall building nearby. It was time to move. There was no going back._

_He had to do this._

His chosen** ROAD **has taken him here.

And he would follow it to the **END**.

Kamijou began to move, acquiring considerable speed to the point where it was supernatural. Upon reaching the edge, he jumped to the next building, ignoring the large distance between both. As he reached the other rooftop, he rolled forward and continued to move at inhuman speed, leaping to the next building.

His eyes never lost contact with the battlefield occurring in the main streets. Missiles crashed with the nearby structures, more aircrafts and choppers arrived to the district, the gunfire and explosions was becoming louder, but the boy advanced with determined steps.

Kamijou leaped to a collapsed building that was leaning downward a bit, so he climbed over the wall and windows as he reached the top of the larger building to only leapt to the next structure. He was getting close to AUTO, circling around it as he advanced undetected by the enemy by the tall surfaces on the district.

Kamijou stopped briefly, noticing AUTO was not that far away, so he took out the cell he turned off after calling his cousin. After turning it on again, he dialled the only number he could remember, and he was glad he did.

"Shirai?" Kamijou waited briefly before he began to move once again, gaining enough speed to be able to jumped to the next building.

"Kamijou-san? We were looking for yo-"

Kamijou blinked when someone took the phone from her apparently.

"Where are you idiot!? Tsukino-san told me that you wanted me to come here?" Misaka Mikoto spoke loudly, her tone held irritation. "Your trainer won't tell us anything about your whereabouts or what you are doing, so you better explain yourself now!"

"There is no time," He said half-heartedly, leaping to another rooftop. "Get as closer as you can to the big robot. I'll meet with you to explain everything. Maybe Shirai can help you…" He paused and observed the gunfire between both sides before proceeding. "But please, be careful. These are really dangerous people, and they will not hesitate to use their weapons on you."

"Are you forgetting who am I?" She smirked fiercely. "I'll will shock everyone that gets in my way! You better tell me everything when we meet," There was some silence.

"Touma?" Kamijou recognized the voice as the one from his teacher, Yomikawa Aiho. "Where the hell are you? Why is Yui so silent and won't tell us anything?"

"Sensei," He started his tone uncertain. "I can't tell because I know you will interfere," He admitted, his face looking tired. "All I can tell you right now is that if you want to help me, then help Misaka reach AUTO."

"Why do you-"

He ended the call and turned off the phone.

There was no time to explain, only act. With that, he increased his speed dramatically.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Kamijou entered a room inside the fifth floor of a structure meant for administrative purposes. Upon arriving to the rooftop, he had used the stairs to go down some levels down, noticing that every floor contained offices and… more offices.

As he advanced, several PURE members that patrolled the installations couldn't see what attacked them until they found their consciousness fading. Kamijou sprinted with undetectable steps, taking each one of them down with his stun gun, enhanced with nanotechnology, also delivering swift punches should it be necessary.

Eventually, Kamijou reached an office where large broken windows allowed the light to enter. The boy neared cautiously the windows, and ducked to hide himself from any viewer, raising his head slowly to see what was happening before the building.

As he had planned, PURE's main force advanced through the streets down the window, and soon, AUTO appeared together with Tatsuo standing on its right metallic shoulder as he sent commands to the FIVE_Over through the device that covered part of his arm.

He could see all bullets being reflected from the leader's position, so Kamijou assumed that the barrier was larger than he had imagined, which not only covered AUTO but an area around it, leaving Tatsuo protected as well.

He took his cell out, and was about to call Misaka again before a large current of lightning crashed with the frontal group of PURE. The boy directed his gaze to Misaka and Shirai walking towards the massive weapon, behind them, Yomikawa, Tsukino and many squads had infiltrated the enemy lines.

"I guess there is no need to call Biribiri. She is already here."

Anti-Skill defended themselves with riots shields, also taking cover behind with four powered suits with IA that had taking strategic positions to allow the Yomikawa's squad to advance. A dark colored eight-legged mobile weapon with shiny green lines across it and avoided the missile of a bazooka and landed near them.

The main body of the machine opened, revealing a girl with long straight black hair that wore some sort of suit. Kamijou noticed that Misaka pointed her finger at her as if she knew the girl over the odd machine. The boy blinked twice before green light covered the devastated streets, alerting him.

AUTO created several green orbs that soon shot intense heat beams at them. Misaka used her esper powers to pull herself towards the incoming attacks and concentrated her lightning around her hands while the unknown girl went inside her odd machine, which somehow reassembled a black crow. The beams crashed with her electric defense and where deflected.

"She can withstand AUTO's attacks?" He smiled. "As expected of the number 3 I guess…" He looked at AUTO, it was within his reach now. "I guess it's time to do this."

Kamijou gave some steps back; he could feel pain on his joints and muscles already due to using Hard Taping for a long period of time. That however could not stop him, he had to help and stop PURE before more people died. Now that his friends were on the battlefield, he could not fail.

Kamijou looked at the window with a focused expression. He only had one shot to make his plan work. Some seconds passed before he dashed towards the window.

**Part 23**

Some minutes earlier, Misaka Mikoko took cover from the gunfire, at her side Shirai Kuroko. Tsukino ducked near them with a grenade in hand, removed the lock and threw it and the nearby enemy force.

The grenade exploded and made the area tremble, screams of agony followed the ear-shattering noise. The Anti-skill agents took this chance to advance as four pilotless powered machines advanced further. Three enemy missiles destroyed one of the powered suits as Misaka advanced and sent an arc of lightning at them.

The large robot made an advance as the man that was apparently the mastermind and leader of the terrorist organization, identified as Akumi Tatsuo, yelled in satisfaction.

"Come!" The red-haired man that wore a black suit extended his arms upward, a feral expression on his face. "That's all Academy City has to offer? The Railgun is here? Same results!" Raising his limb where AUTO's control system was located, he laughed. "You won't stop PURE! We will purify this world from all the filthy scum that had corrupted it!"

A black machine soon landed near Misaka's group, and she recognised the machine immediately. Some seconds passed as the surface of its body was opened, and from it emerged a girl Misaka had met a long time ago.

"It's you!" She pointed a finger at the black-haired girl in surprise. "You are here was well, I see. Still using that odd machine."

"…?" The newcomer raised an eyebrow, "Do you know me? Have we met before?" She gave her an uninterested gaze. "By the uniform and the abilities you just displayed, I assume you are the Railgun from Tokiwadai."

Misaka was startled, "You don't remember?" She mused profoundly until she recalled that Mental Out must have probably erased her memories to protect Kamijou Touma's sanity. Not that she gave some thought to it, it was that witch who asked Shokuhou to erase from everyone's memories the events of the first week of June.

"I don't think we have met before," Said the girl, convinced. "Do you know my name?"

Misaka blinked… "Er…" Her eyes widened upon seeing a green covering her surroundings.

"Well, we don't have time to chatter," The blackhead said, entering her mobile weapon. "I'm here to give you a hand, but I don't know what good can we do if that thing keeps repelling our attacks." Her voice now came from the machine as if with a loudspeaker was used. "My squads are advancing from the other side, so at least we have them surrounded."

The large metallic form of AUTO had created large green orbs that floated at its sides. Misaka saw this and noticed the metal remaining from vehicles around her. Using them, she used magnetism to push her upward as the orbs unleashed powerful beams of energy.

As the burning projectiles approached her, she put both hands forward and concentrated her lightning. Both supernatural powers crashed with one another, yet the beams were deflected by the Railgun's defense, much to Shirai's surprise and relief.

Shirai quickly teleported at Misaka's side while in middle air and took her hand to teleport her back to the temporal safe area where Yomikawa's force was. A large machinegun had protruded from AUTO's leg and began to fire at them as the remaining pilotless powered suits that were their line of defense were wiped out.

The gun fire of helicopters and missiles from planes continued to be deflected, the force of PURE took cover behind the large machine and counter attacked, taking down the flying reinforcements. The tanks were too far from Yomikawa's squad and lacked vision to aim at AUTO. Even if they could shoot at the FIVE_Over, Yomikawa knew it would be only harmful to the Anti-Skill forces as the shots would be simply redirected back at them.

Misaka rose from her cover and gritted her teeth.

"Where is that idiot?" She growled. "He said he had a plan so where is-?" Her mouth stopped abruptly as her eyes caught the sight of a certain spiky-haired boy coming out from the windows of a still standing building just at the side of AUTO.

Everyone gaped in disbelief when the boy called Kamijou Touma extended his right hand, passing through the invisible barrier that protected AUTO and landed by it's the machine's left metallic shoulder.

Akumi Tatsuo turned to the boy that stood with a confident smirk by the other shoulder of AUTO in shock. Every PURE member had been surprised by the sudden appearance of this unknown individual, which should have been repelled by AUTO's redirection, yet he entered its protective field without any problem.

Said boy put on hand on AUTO's large head and the other up as a sign of greeting him. Nobody could believe what was happening.

"Touma?/It's that kid!/Kamijou-san!?/Wow…/What the hell!?/Seriously?" Were some of the shouts that came from those that knew him.

"Yo," He said casually. "We meet again, Akumi-san," The boy merely glanced around and added with a carefree tone. "I see you have been… busy."

"How the fuck did you manage to pass through AUTO's barrier?" He yelled, irritation masking his face. The boy didn't seem to hear him and looked down where more PURE members stood in utter shock and some meters away from them, Misaka's group.

"What are you waiting for!?" Akumi yelled, though this time to his subordinates. "Shoot at him!" One of them pointed his assault rifle to the teen, who just kept smiling and fire at him, to have the bullets return as he took cover from his own attack.

"It seems that we are both protected by the Redirection field now that I have passed across it…" Kamijou grinned. "And yes, I know everything I need to know about this thing," He tapped the head of the FIVE_Over as he spoke. "The field that protects this machine does not cover its body but it creates a barrier about 2 meters away from the head."

"So you used something go across it without deactivating it," Akumi concluded. "But how?"

"Well, it seems the barrier only exists around AUTO but it does not cover the machine directly. If you haven't check the schematics of AUTO, it's like we are a dot and the redirection barrier is a circle surrounding it, which doesn't touch the dot, but it's there, around the dot to prevent anything from entering the space where the dot could move while inside the circle."

"Guess I should have read the schematics carefully," The redhead admitted. "That doesn't explain how you managed to get pass redirection."

The boy folded his arms as he continued to talk with the head of PURE, all while every Anti-Skill and PURE agent stopped the gunfire and looked at them confusedly. Misaka, recovering from her stun, moved closer, followed by Yomikawa and Shirai.

"This was you plan? Getting inside AUTO's impenetrable barrier?" She shouted as bluish-sparks jumped wildly across her bangs. "Are you insane?"

"Touma!" Yomikawa, instead of shouting, used a megaphone. "Get out of there now! You are being too reckless!" The boy flinched at her strident yell, sweat-dropping because the woman still shouted despite using a megaphone.

All of a sudden, Tatsuo took out a handgun from his left pocket pointing it towards the boy he just recalled was called Kamijou. The boy did not seem to be altered by it unlike the people that apparently were his friends.

"What on earth are you watching!? Kill them!" Tatsuo ordered, but before his henchmen could act, several disks fell around them as a machine shoot several wires to pierce them in mere seconds, explosions occurring as the terrorists were blown away.

"Not under my watch," A female voice came from the odd machine.

Even after that, more PURE armed soldiers continued to appear from the collapsed buildings, with the exception of one for some reason.

"I knew there was something special about you when I found you sneaking around that storage," Tatsuo kept the pistol aimed at the teen. "Then my son tells me he wanted to bring someone to our organization, and resulted to be you," The man tsked, slightly angry. "And you even captured him after rejecting his proposal."

"And now, I'm here standing inside the impenetrable fortress you thought you had," The boy added airily. "And you said there is nothing I could do?" Kamijou chuckled.

Tatsuo soon began to laugh as well, Misaka and the rest was sweat-dropping at such an absurd situation those two by the FIVE_Over displayed to them.

"Ok, I don't really care how you entered this field," Tatsuo shrugged. "What can you do now? I just need a simple command from AUTO to make you fall to your dead, or I could simply put a bullet in your head."

Kamijou's lips twirled into an amused smile, scratching his head. Tatsuo wanted to shoot at him, but he was fearful of his overconfident demeanor, so he decided to wait a bit.

"Well, you see…" He ducked, supporting himself with his right hand on the head until the boy touched something that felt differently from the cold surface of the head. Without further warning, and to the shock of anyone that witnessed it, AUTO's white eyes faded and the sound as if an engine was turned off could be heard. "What do you think?"

The leader of PURE dropped his jaw, his eyes blinking as the control device from AUTO displayed the message that it was not receiving any energy much to his shock. AUTO remained in the same standstill position it was before.

"What the hell?" Tatsuo almost lost his balance when he tried desperately to give a command to the massive weapon. "What have you done!?" Raging, he began to shoot at Kamijou who hid behind the head of the machine, yet the cover resulted ineffective.

Two bullets impacted in the boy's body after Tatsuo wasted all the ammunition. One in the right leg and the other in the stomach. Yomikawa and Shirai widened their eyes as he cried out in pain, the latter teleported to the machine, yet she was repelled when the boy let go of the AIM absorber due to the bullet wounds.

"Kuroko!" Misaka shouted upon seeing her friend crashing harshly over the remaining of a vehicle. Misaka gave one step before her name was called loudly.

"Misaka!" She blinked again and turner towards the massive weapon that was activated again, green orbs appearing before fading as the boy touched the device again. PURE members tried to get on vision to shot at him but disks impacted in every area around the FIVE_Over, multiple wires crashing in them as the explosions dispersed every terrorist.

Yomikawa shot at Tatsuo with her pistol, eyes filled with tears of anger and impotence. The man receive 7 bullets on his chest, yet he remained still over the large Machine as he opened the shirt under his blazer, crying out in pain.

"A bulletproof vest?" Yomikawa said in disbelief as she took cover behind a broken column, alongside Tsukino. "Why have you let him do this!?" The white-haired girl everted her gaze and responded.

"Because he would have come by himself anyway," Tsukino answered with a grave tone. "Kamijou also has protection, so the bullet that hit his stomach shouldn't have penetrated his body. He probably felt intense pain, but nothing serious."

However, Tsukino lied as she had noticed the blood soaking his shirt. Despite the protection he used, that bullet had gone inside his skin, making her deeply worried.

Two large powered suits landed nearby controlled by PURE members and began to shot indiscriminately. Misaka stopped some of the bullets with magnetism and sent them back; again, her name was called out loudly.

She stood up and looked at an unconscious and bleeding Kuroko being carried by a member of the police, and gritted her teeth. She focused and roared in ire as lightning began to crash and destroy everything around AUTO, some arcs being repelled as the robot became active again. PURE and Anti-Skill members fled to avoid the lightning.

When her power stopped, once more, her name was heard and finally, she got to see at the boy that kept calling her. His eyes burned with determination, yet he was smiling warmly. Tatsuo tried to give another command but the boy deactivated yet again the massive weapon.

"Shit! Shit!" Tatsuo smashed the device, hoping it would move AUTO, but it was to no avail.

"Misaka!" She stepped forward as the boy continued. "I'm gonna need you to destroy this thing right now," She blinked. "You have coins with you right?" He asked.

"Y-yes," Misaka replied, noticing that both allied and enemy forces began to gather. "But I can't attack it as long as redirection is active, or you are near. If AUTO was to explode, you would get caught in the explosion."

The boy smiled reassuringly, "I know, but you have to do it. This moment is our only chance," He sighed before assuming a strong expression. "Misaka! Unleash the Railgun and destroy this weapon once and for all! Only you are capable of blowing up AUTO right now. If I get shot again, that guy is gonna use this robot to kill everybody!"

"No," she took a step back. "You can't ask me that! You are going to die if I use the Railgun on this thing!" He looked at her in disapproval. "I mean, it's like you are telling me to kill you!"

More choppers were nearing the area as well as subordinates of Tatsuo, yet the boy ignored all that. "If you don't do it, more people are gonna die! To deactivate AUTO was my job! Now it's your turn!"

Misaka stared at him wide-eyed, and hesitantly took out a coin from her skirt as she heard someone telling her to stop. She gripped it tightly and raised her gaze. The boy nodded at her, grinning. Tears began to trail down from her eyes as she slowly raised the arm that held the coin.

"Stop!" Yomikawa shouted a she dashed towards the level 5, yet a grenade exploded nearby, the impulse made her collide with a wall. Tsukino moved quickly and with the help of another agent, both lifted the injured woman. Another agent began to shoot the neaby building's windows, seeing that there were terrorist hidden in it.

"Even If I was to die, my followers will get a hold of AUTO and will continue our mission!" Tatsuo mocked, and the boy glanced at him.

Kamijou pocketed out a cell and threw it at Tatsuo with amazing strength, making the man lose his balance as he fell from the FIVE_Over. His body slid across the machine's body and landed harshly on the ground. Misaka looked back at the pointy-haired teen.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Song 10

* * *

"We must destroy AUTO now before Akumi stands up again," His tone became soft, yet loud enough for her to hear. "The rest of his people are coming, Misaka. I know you can do it so don't worry about me," He said, not showing any kind of regret. "I'm fine with this decision, so please… protect the city I love."

She stared at the boy standing alone over the massive weapon. Blood was painting his shirt in crimson red, and it also dripped from his mouth. She just noticed he was wounded, and despite that, he still said all those hateful words.

He had become her friend recently, and she was beginning to know him. During the short time together, he had protected many people alongside her. He had protected her friends and even her. Even after she initially thought that he was an accomplice of the murders in June, she received prove that this boy had made the impossible to protect everybody, risking his life and sanity.

The boy that was smiling, that only wanted to protect everyone, that only wanted to see everyone happy was telling her to protect the city right now, not caring about his life.

Kamijou Touma nodded at her as if telling her this was truly ok, that he accepted this **END**.

Misaka couldn't hear anything as she pointed her hand towards the core of the large machine, electricity originating around her hand in massive proportions. His face did not change, his stance did not falter, he only kept her eyes on her, never letting go of his warm smile, which made her furious.

"Stop smiling!" She yelled shakily. "You are about to die!"

"If it's to stop this madness, then I'm happy to go."

Tears began to fall from her face as she resisted the urge to cry. The enormous amount of electricity surrounding her hand illuminated her surroundings before she finally flicked the coin in her hand.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered.

A strident shockwave reverberated across the tiny distance between her and the massive weapon, the coin breaking the barrier of sound as it finally crashed with the body of AUTO with a bright, orange stream of heat and large amounts of electricity.

Before she could blink, AUTO exploded violently, unleashing a massive chain of explosions as the boy faded with the erupting fire. The shockwave created by the destruction of the massive weapon sent everyone near its surroundings away with devastating strength, including Misaka Mikoto.

The last thing she saw was his never-wavering smile.

It was then when everything faded to black.

**Aftermath**

Misaka Mikoto jolted awake, blinking several times as she took on her surroundings. She was inside an ambulance that had the back door opened. She could see many people moving from one place to another outside. She stood up but let out a soft cry as a piercing pain spread through her left leg.

She bit her lip as endured the pain, limping out of the vehicle as a man with a blue uniform, most likely a paramedic, approached her.

"You are awake already?" He said in surprise as he helped her sit on a large piece of debris. "You should return to the ambulance. Your left leg received serious damage from a hard hit," She shook her head. "I guess not…" The paramedic sighed.

"What is going on? What happened to the members of PURE?"

"I saw it all from afar. After you destroyed that big robot, their leader died apparently with the explosion it created," He elaborated, her eyes widening. "Most of them gave up while others didn't even recall what they were doing. I suppose the terrorists used some sort of brainwash method to make people join their cause."

Misaka blinked twice, "If you saw everything, then you saw that boy standing on that machine right? What happened to him? Where is he?" She glanced around, knowing how that idiot always did the impossible to survive, even if the fire engulfed him, maybe his right hand…

The man made a sad expression, opening his mouth before someone suddenly enveloped her from behind. Misaka turned her head slightly, seeing that Saten Ruiko was hugging her. The eyes of the black-haired girl were red as if she cried recently.

"M-Misaka-san…" Her voice broke; more tears threaten to fall from her eyes. "He… he is gone… Kamijou-kun is gone…" Widened eyes was Misaka's response after Saten confirmed the crude reality, what she feared.

"W-wait…" She stuttered. "That…" Misaka was at loss for words.

The paramedic intervened, "We found his body near the remainings of that large machine," He dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry…" The man in blue stood up and moved to help carry more wounded people.

"This is… this is my fault… I killed him… I… I did…"

"Don't!" Saten's hug became tighter, her tears coming out finally. "Tsukino-san told me how it happened…" Misaka began to cry as she continued. "He told you to use the Railgun, right? He wanted to destroy AUTO and stop the bloodshed between both sides, right?"

"But he died because of me!" Misaka yelled angrily. "There should have been another way!"

"But there wasn't in that moment…" Tsukino Yui stepped up to them, sitting where the paramedic sat previously. "Thanks to the sudden destruction of AUTO, the death of more people on both sides had been prevented. If you haven't destroyed it, maybe everyone around here would be dead and PURE would continue fighting their way out of the district."

"I-I know… but still…" She sobbed, finally hugging her friend as both let their pain out of her hearts, "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry."

Tsukino darkened her gaze, observing the injured Anti-Skill and PURE members being taken to all available ambulances. Her eyes soon stopped on Yomikawa Aiho, who had remained sat on the ground since she was told of the death of Kamijou Touma. She cried from time to time and had refused to move from where she sat.

Tsukino had tried talking to her but she simply not responded. She assumed that Yomikawa blamed her for the unexpected turn of events because she had allowed the boy to put his dangerous and reckless plan in motion.

Tsukino glanced at both crying girls in front of her.

"It was his decision," The whitehead said. "Since he came into the district, he had accepted it. It was not your fault if he had decided to make things this way…" Tsukino wiped some tears trailing from her eyes. "I respected him, so that's why I couldn't refuse to help him. Many times he said that he admired the police and anyone that would risk their life for the sake of others. He said they were heroes, and he became one in the end…"

Tsukino stood up and left both crying girls alone. Then she walked to Yomikawa. The woman made no apparent change as just continued to look at the ground, wiping the tears that came out.

"Today, many good people had left us, Yui…" The woman finally spoke. "Even him…" She felt like crying again but resisted the urge. "We… have to tell his parents… They need to know…"

"Yes… I know," Tsukino sat at her side and leaned her body to her friend. "But not yet… I don't think I'll be able to handle that…"

Minutes passed, the sirens of ambulances echoed across the wrecked district while all PURE members that gave up were taken into custody for interrogation. Fire-Zero was handling the fire suppressing operations as the evacuation continued.

Current date: July 17th…

Marked as the first day of decline of Academy City, where a heroic boy sacrificed himself for the greater good, yet his death, would only lead this world to Armageddon.

Kamijou Touma's **ROAD of Misfortune** had come to an **END**.

**Between the Lines**

Tsuchimikado Motoharu gave furious steps inside a dark, almost empty room after a certain red-haired girl had teleported him inside the Windowless Building.

The intimidating being that floated upside down looked at the blond nearing the cylinder where his body floated. The 'human' greeted Tsuchimikado with a cold tone.

"What brings you here, double agent?" Its human, yet inhuman voice spoke. "You seemd to be upset… Did something occurred.?"

"Don't give me that crap, Aleister!" Tsuchimikado was too angry, and he didn't care if the thing before him would kill him, he would still voice his thoughts to it. "Why did you allow this to happen? You have not only let these intruders to get into the city, but many people had died because of it!"

"I will not answer that," Was Aleister's reply, causing Tsuchimikado to get more furious.

"My friend, also the key core of your plans is gone!" He shouted, "Why let him die!? Wasn't the Imagine Breaker of great importance? Dammit!"

"I will not answer that either."

Tsuchimikado gritted his teeth in anger, forming a fist. The 'human' before him had let many events occur without fully putting on motion the protection of the city. He knew there must be a reason why Aleister had allowed all this to occur. That man was planning something, he knew that, but was it at the cost of the life of Kamijou Touma?

There was something shady at work in here, and Aleister Crowley was the only one that knew the answers. However, the 'human' was not going to answer any of his questions, and there was no way he could force him to as Aleister would simply kill him in a matter of seconds.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu could only say one last thing before he walked away; **Awaki Musujime** was already waiting for him in the far side of the room with no windows and doors. He looked up.

"Whatever are you planning, whatever is happening, rest assured the world will not stand idle to what you have allowed to happen today," Tsuchimikado said sharply as he accommodated his sunglasses. "Brace yourself for the consequences."

With that, the blonde walked towards the girl and both disappeared from the empty room, only illuminated by the screens and lights attached to the ground and walls.

"I know very well what are going to be the consequences," The 'human' said to himself. "I know what I have to do from now on. This world is going to end, and I can't remain in it anymore..."

The End phase was about to begin, so all Aleister could do now was proceed to the transference phase as he prepared for the **unknown godly being** that had descended in this world to act. The wheel of fate was turning, and it would not be to a good future.

**ROAD to Armageddon**

A certain boy opened his eyes, a piercing pain making his head ache. His blurred vision readjusted slowly as he began to distinguish his surroundings. He felt himself sort of comfortable as his body was resting over a soft bed.

The boy looked around; he was inside a hospital room.

White walls, a window that was covered in white curtains, letting small rays of light into the room, a spacious bed, some chairs by his side and a sofa just in front of his bed where someone was sitting…

The boy blinked in surprise, obviously startled by the new presence he hadn't notice before. He could swear no one was there some seconds ago.

"**THoU are fInALlly aWakE, GUnHa SOgiIta **," A deep voice came from the person that was covered in dark garments, whose face was hidden under a hood. "**I hAst bEEn WaiTing FoR tHis mOmENt sINce I enTeReD tHiS rEAlitY**.

The black-haired boy and level 5, Sogiita Gunha, blinked several times as he noticed the contrast this unknown individual made with the white room. It was as if this person did not belong here at all, or at least that was the impression it gave him.

**"FiRsT,**" The cloaked figure added, **"GEt REadY…"**

The unknown being simply faded from the room as Sogiita noticed his clothes hanging over a chair.

**o-0-O-0-o**

The strange man's voice rang out again due to Sogiita being so unresponsive. After the level got dressed with his usual modified uniform, the being appeared out of nowhere before him.

**"Do NOt fEaR me mORtaL, as I hASt no inTeNtiOn Of brIngINg hArm tO TheE,"** His grave, strange voice echoed in the room. **"THe oNly rEaSOn I Am hErE is TO EnSURe thE SurviVAl of THiS ReALiTY as The KEY to PreVEnT thE END of All ThaT eXistS LiES iN ThE HaND of a BOY that nO LonGEr LivEs AmonG YoU."**

Sogiita was trying his best to understand what was being said, yet he really had no idea of what this person was talking about. What did this person mean by reality? Was he talking about his personal reality? Was the cloaked person inside his mind?

"Prevent the end?" He asked in bewilderment, "Someone would need a lot of guts to make something like that possible! And a boy that has a power on his right hand is the key to prevent the end? He must have a lot of guts! But… what do you mean by all this? I guess I need a lot more guts to understand you!"

A chuckle came from the cloaked figure, making Sogiita raise an eyebrow.

**"FiRSt oF All, YoU ShaLL AddRess Me As thE BLaCK MaN,"** He said, removing the hood that covered his face. **"Or tHe NamE I UseD to HavE, BlaCK SeeDer."**

Sogiita narrowed his gaze upon seeing the being that stood up from the sofa, examining him. The individual was a tall, lean man of dead black coloration but without the slightest sign of negroid features; wholly devoid of either hair or beard, who apparently wore as his only garment a shapeless robe made of some heavy black fabric as he could now see him clearly.

White eyes and an undefined presence were its most striking features.

"Okay…? I don't really get what is this about," The level 5 blinked as if he just recalled something. "What happened with the number one? He had a lot of guts! And who are you exactly? It seems you have a lot of guts and know a lot of stuff."

The odd man bore no trace of expression on his small, rectangular features.

**"ThaT is Of no ImpORtAncE, MorTal…"** The Black Seeder said with an imposing tone, giving some steps to the side. **"TiME Is oF tHe EsSenCe as I'm BeinG HunTeD by mY FOrmER Clan And His OtHerwoRDly ChaMpIons. LeT Us GeT ThY PoInT."**

Sogiita's confusion was increasing by each passing second. It was really hard already to make up his words as the weird baldy spoke with strange words that somehow made sense, yet the thing about the end of the world, other apparent realities, otherworldly champions… It was all a bit absurd, as if this was the plot one of those crazy mangas he had read some weeks ago.

**"ThE END of YOUr WorLD iS GeTTinG NeAr, aNd TherE iS oNlY oNE WaY To AVoiD TotaL DEStrUCtIoN Of ThY RealItY."**

"And that is?" The #7 inquired, still confused.

**"SeIze The HeARt Of KrOnoS and UsEsT iT To ChANGe The DeStiny oF tHy WorLd,"** The black Seeder responded with his grave, dry voice. **"SavE the bOy ThaT HolDs The PoweR to DeFeaT alL gOdS. OnLy HiM CaN Stop thE TruE ArmAgeDdoN from OccuRRing, Not oNly on this RealIty, But In all OtheRs."**

"Er… And who is the boy that has so much guts that can stop the… thing you mentioned?" Asked Sogiita in mild interest, forgetting about all the senseless crap the man babbled before. "I think you said that he no longer lived among us."

The unknown man in robes looked at him directly.

**"He Is DeceAsed As oF nOw, but YoU must ChaNgE tHat, GunHa SoGiiTa."**

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Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 09 Section: Picture 06

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Sogiita made a serious expression, facing the being with strong determination.

"What do you want me to do exactly?" Sogiita asked seriously, guessing that whatever was about to be said, would require all his guts to accomplish.

"**BrinG back ToUma KamIjoU**."

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**An Uncertain Twisted Omen ARC: END**

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**Thanks 4 reading. **

**\- Frank**


	11. A World Without HIM

**This will be the start of a whole new level of Darkness, whether you are prepared or not. Some of the songs during the New Arc will not be to your liking, yet they create the perfect… mood. Eerie music you say? Disturbing, abominable, or simply horrible are the words I would use.**

**A New cover is up, which you should be able to see by entering the link in the profile of the story(ANROM Armageddon). The songs and images are as always in the section that belongs to this chapter. I should say that I hope to get recommended in TV troops! Anyway, those that are knowledgeable about TAMNI, don't be bothered by the difference in some dates, because in this story, some events may be occurring sooner than expected.**

**Enjoy the beginning of the ride to insanity**

**Reader discretion is advised.**

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**A New Road of Misfortune**

**Chapter 10: The Gemstone Who Became the Protagonist by Some Kind of Blunder: A_World-Without "Him"**

**Part 1**

It was dark… absurdly dark.

A boy, dressed in white, blinked several times as he observed his surroundings, wondering where he was and how he got there. He had no recollection of coming to this area after all.

The place seemed to be abandoned, and the room he was currently in was completely dirty and old. Upon closer inspection, the boy could notice that he was in a hospital due to the design on the room and the furniture in it.

Beds, that he could guess were once white, were stained with brown as well as the walls. The Iron bars that conformed the base of the bed were rusted and corroded, and the large windows were broken. Everything about the room screamed that no one had visited it in years. A question popped up in the boy that stood in the middle of the ominous room.

"Where am I? This place sucks!"

He turned his head sharply as he thought he had sensed a movement. A pale shaft of sunlight, heavy with swirling dust, was falling across the multiple holes in the ceiling. But beyond, the corner was full of glooms and shadows. _(Had one of those shadows moved?)_ The boy felt his scalp prickling, like it did when one felt the sensation of someone observing you.

He shook his head, getting rid of the fear that apparently possessed his body for mere seconds.

"Huh… must have been my imagination," He commented to himself, glancing at the age-worn door. "Maybe it was my guts getting out of control."

Suddenly, the entrance door opened halfway. Beyond it, a corridor led into the gloom. The floorboards on the floor were rotten, all wet and slimy and he could hear dripping sounds from within the distance. Moving closer, the boy peered up at the old ceiling. The plasters were dangling like tentacles. He sniffed. A dank smell filled the air.

Something was obviously not right.

**Sogiita Gunha**, often called **Number 7**, opened the door completely; the cracking of the door echoing in what seemed a long corridor that connected multiple abandoned rooms. The hallway was in the same condition as the room he left. Some pale lights still worked across the corridor he observed, as he scratched his head.

His eyes darted left and right from time to time as he could swear that something within the darkened walls moved. Eventually, a red light caught his attention, coming from a half-opened door, so he walked across the silent corridor and approached it.

Peering inside, Sogiita frowned as he couldn't tell from where the red light originated. The room was exactly the same as the others, but it looked red as if red light came from everywhere.

He went through the doorway, stepping onto the stone surface just inside it. But on the second step, the floor disappeared and his foot encountered nothing but air. He teetered on the very edge, his arms wind-milling frantically until he managed to regain his balance and pull himself up from the brink. He fell back against the door jamb and clung onto it, taking deep breaths to steady his nerves as he cursed himself for his rashness.

"Whoa, if it wasn't for my guts," Sogiita commented, looking at the hole where every object in the room fell to. That was a close call, as he didn't knew how deep it went. After all, the expected sound of all the objects crashing with the floor never came.

Sogiita stood once more in the middle of the ominous corridor, noticing that some of the lights twinkled. He crossed his arms in exasperation and looked forward, seeing double doors at the end. He concluded those led to the exit and decided to move forward.

Yet, after blinking twice, he came to a stop.

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 01 **(Seriously, pretty accurate for this scary scene.)**

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A dark figure stood by the end of the hallway, just in front of the double doors. Sogiita could not distinguish it clearly but he could tell the figure resembled a woman that had long black hair. He stood there immobile for several seconds as he waited for the woman to move, yet that didn't occur.

"Hello?" He said out loud, "Who's there?" No apparent response came; the woman only moved her head slightly. "My name is Sogiita Gunha. I want to know your name, miss."

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Picture 01

* * *

The woman raised her head, intense blue eyes directed at the black-haired boy. Sogiita narrowed his gaze as he felt killing intent directed at him. Every sense of his body screamed danger, so the level 5 readied himself.

Suddenly, the woman began to walk towards him as the lights exploded one by one. A black substance began to move from the ground up the walls, slowly covering them as the woman with bright blue eyes approached him.

The sight was sickening. The black substance covered everything and turned the hallway into a place that could make anyone insane. It was like he was inside a tunnel made of rotten meat, which would lead him straight to hell; that if hell existed. Now, he believed it did.

Sogiita tried to move but found that his feet were stuck to the ground as the black substance had covered them. He struggled to take his feet out of the substance but it resulted futile. It was then when his gaze was directed forward again, noticing that the woman moved faster.

Sogiita widened his eyes as the mouth of the woman opened in a way that shouldn't be possible, large teeth protruding from her mouth as her purple abnormal tongue moved out of her mouth grotesquely.

Tentacles emerged from the black organic substance and enveloped his arms, keeping him in place. Whatever it was, he couldn't get rid of it and it was covering his entire body.

"Whoa! What sort of guts are those!?"

The monstrous woman lunged at him and he could do nothing but to watch wide-eyed at her mouth becoming supernaturally large and deformed before he was totally swallowed.

Everything became black.

**Part 2**

Sogiita Gunha jolted awake, raising a punch as if to hit something but stopped when he took on his surroundings. He was, as he last remembered, inside his dormitory located in district 7. He was sweating a bit, which was terribly odd considering that it never occurred when he had the normal sort of nightmares, yet, he could tell for the first time in his life that whatever was that hideous… **thing**… that attacked him in the dream, was something he would not forget in the days to come.

That **thing** couldn't really be human despite that it first resembled a woman.

"Man, if that thing scared me, then I still lack guts."

He rose from the bed and entered the bathroom. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and stood in front of the mirror over the sink. A minute elapsed as he just stared at himself, lost in thought. Eventually, he came back to his senses when he suddenly palmed his cheeks to remove the stupor.

"I wonder what should I do what that stuff?" He twitched his eyebrows in irritation, "I need more guts!"

Sogiita left the bathroom and changed into his modified school uniform, with the Rising Sun shirt under the jacket he wore over his shoulders as some sort of make-shift cape. He looked down at the white headband on his right hand for several seconds and gripped it tightly, a serious expression on his face.

_(The signal will reveal everything… What signal?)_

The Number 7 put on the headband, sat on his bed, crossing his arms and legs after he did, eyes shut as he began to gather his thoughts about the current events.

"Hmmm…."

The boy was thinking.

"HHHMMMMM!"

The boy was thinking really hard.

Two uneventful months had passed for him since he woke in a hospital after the destruction of a massive weapon used by a terrorist group that intruded in Academy City's perimeter. Such was possible thanks to the sacrifice of a brave Judgment member, whose identity remained anonymous, yet still Sogiita screamed out loud from the roof of the tallest building that whoever he was, the student that died, he was full of guts.

Before this whole terrorist organization was captured, a member of the Board of Directors was apparently killed by them according the media. Also, the reconstruction of School district 18 had begun one month ago and all the brainwashed students and adults of the school revolts had received psychological treatment to remove the emitters influence.

Academy City was slowly recovering from the terrorist attack.

Sogiita Gunha had to wonder if everything that the strange being that called himself the **Black Man** or **Black Seeder **was true. He mentioned the end of the world getting near, yet there was no sign of such occurring.

_(Bring back Touma Kamijou…)_

He sighed. As he later discovered, the boy that made possible the destruction of the massive weapon was the one he had to bring back, but there was no way that he could do something like that. Not even the most skilled medics and scientists could achieve it, so how come he could do it? Even with his esper power full of guts… to bring people back to life was simply impossible.

_(Heart of Kronos? What is that anyway? That dude left me in the dark without giving any lead to follow. Not gutsy at all!)_

Since the day he was told about the end of the world, Sogiita had expected for the worst to occur, like some sort of meteorite crashing with the Earth and bringing dead to all living beings, yet, nothing was really happening.

He wished he would have asked that man in black robes more about it. All he knew was that the boy that died in July17th was the key for the survival of the whole world apparently.

Why? He didn't know, but if that was true, then that boy indeed had a lot of guts.

Kamijou Touma possessed the power to defeat gods, that's what that creepy being stated, but what gods? Did gods truly exist? The existence of imperceptible entities such as gods and spirits that people adored in religions of different cultures could not be proved scientifically. For all he knew, this could be some sort of prank, and the lack of any sign that could prove that the end of the world was getting near was cementing that belief.

It was honestly confusing, considering that Sogiita only believed in science despite that it could not explain his esper abilities. Now, he was tasked with bringing someone dead back to life? What was he thinking when he accepted that absurd request?

Even for him, it was hard to believe such was possible.

All he could do was to continue living his life. But… that didn't really mean that he couldn't dig a bit about Kamijou Touma as he was interested in knowing his ability… that if he had one. Sogiita had waited two months in vain, so it was time to do something.

"All right…" The level 5 said, smirking as he opened the balcony window doors, "Let's do this!" He blinked when realization hit him, "Er… I have to go to school first though…" He smiled fiercely again. "But after that, I'm gonna do it! FULL OF GUTS!"

With that, the Number 7 leaped from the balcony.

**Part 3**

Current date: September 17th, 4:35 p.m.

**"All students, gather in the inner sports field after the classes are over."**

Sogiita Gunha raised an eyebrow as heard the message that came from the loudspeaker in his classroom. Murmurs erupted among his classmates as the bell announced the end of classes. The black-haired boy remained sat as he overheard his companions.

His teacher had left the class a minute ago.

"What is this about?" A student asked.

"Bites me, maybe is related to the news?" A girl responded, "They say that some religious group is violating international law in Avignon."

"Oh yeah! I saw that too in the morning!" Another exclaimed with excitement, "The reporter informed that some religious group was using some sort of advanced destructive weapon. And speaking of that, we should go to the Interceptor Show to see the new good stuff!"

Sogiita raised an eyebrow, wondering if the sudden announced **Interceptor Show,** where various sets of military technology would be put on display, had anything to do with the riots occurring in manyfold countries of **Europe **and** America**. Several Japanese companies had been forced to leave many cities across those two continents because these riots were centred in the areas where they were located.

_(Wait… Could this be…?)_

A certain friend had told him that AC was desperate in gaining funds due to the difficulties that the **Anti-Academy City September Riots** were causing to the outer political relations of the City of Science with several countries.

"Shut up morons!" A girl with glasses yelled sternly, "Have you all forgotten that the Daihaseisai Festival begins tomorrow? It's probably about that. We have nothing to do with the riots on other countries."

"Actually, these riots had started because there are a lot of people that don't approve the existence of Academy City, while other groups simply do it in the name of their religions. In the last week, a lot of countries are showing distrust to our advanced technology and espers. Haven't you seen the news?"

Sogiita stood up as the chat among some students continued, realizing that he was ignoring important stuff occurring with the politics and economy of his city. He wondered if this was related to what the weird man said to him in the hospital 2 months ago.

He could somehow tell that Academy City's relationships had been decaying since the events on July 17 and the destruction of School District 18. His teacher had said that the Board of Directors had lost their aim and were taking the city towards decline, as shown with the **27 Cooperative Institutions of Academy City** ending their cooperation with Academy City out of the blue.

The fact that such important intel was leaked, allowing such to be known by the residents was proof enough that the administration and security measures within the city were also in decay.

Sogiita had also come to know that during the last two months, several students had been found dead, and the homicide was apparently the first ranked level 5 esper of the city. A scandal erupted in AC when the Board of Directors tried to cover it and put the blame on a Skill-Out gang, yet footage that was taken as evidence, recorded by a student, displayed the Number 1 murdering several Tokiwadai students.

As was expected, the parents of all deceased students had blamed the directive for their deaths, stating that their teaching methods transformed their students into dangerous aggressive weapons. If one was to add the delicate political situation of the City of Science with several countries, it could be said that something was clearly wrong with Academy City.

Due to this reasons, several representatives of the group called **Recovery Movement**, whose aim was to take the students out of Academy City for their protection, had started a trial against the Board of Directors. As far as Sogiita knew, it seemed that the higher-ups would have to comply as the death of some of the students was made public by an anonymous source. Seriously, to kill students is wrong, and while he tried to find the number one again to stop him once and for all,

This measure gained even more support and strength when **Misaka Misuzu **and the head of the** Kongou Airlines, Kongou Akihiro**, two of Recovery Movement's representatives, were kidnapped by an Anti-skill gang, but later rescued by MAR. A new anonymous informant revealed this was a plan from the Directive of the city to stall the trials and recovery of the students.

Many boys and girls from his school had left the premises already, and he could tell that was happening in almost every school. Sogiita twitched an eyebrow. How come he hadn't noticed all this before?

As he exited the classroom, a long hallway extended before him, filled with many students that headed to the sports field. He advanced, noticing the usual stares he received from every person around him, yet he simply ignored them.

He raised an eyebrow as he noticed a rather large group of students, congregated in the middle of the hallway, as if they made a group to observe something worth of interest. The Level 5 blinked, yet continued to move forward, soon realizing that someone was standing in the middle of the crowd.

It was a brown-haired girl that wore a black dress and long black stockings. It was not hard to see that most males looked at her with predatory eyes due to her attractiveness, which did not go unnoticed by the level 5 either.

She looked rather annoyed by the attention, but that changed when her eyes met his. To Sogiita's surprise, she smiled brightly and walked up to him.

"Gunha!" She greeted him cheerfully, an odd accent in her tone, "I came to collect you, darling!"

Various expressions of disbelief emerged in almost everyone, including the stunned level 5.

"Who are you, missy?" He inquired.

The girl almost face faulted, a drop of sweat over her head. Sogiita blinked again as he wondered how this girl knew his name, thought he immediately discarded that doubt as he recalled that as a level 5, people must know him.

Now, a new question emerged. Why was this unknown girl being so friendly with him, going so far as calling him by his name in a very close manner? Her guts maybe?

"E-eh…" She stuttered, "Y-you silly!" The brunette waved her hand playfully, "Don't tell me you are so embarrassed of having your girlfriend collect you that you deny her."

Sogiita stared at her blankly, his brain absorbing her words in silence. The girl looked expectant, a drop of sweat trailing down her cheek while every student looked between them in amusement… and jealousness.

"Hmm…" The Number 7 folded his arms, eyes shut as he analysed this situation. Seconds passed as he opened both eyes and grinned, "I don't know what this is about, but… sure, why not?"

The girl almost face faulted yet again. He could tell though that she now looked relieved.

"O-ok…" She stepped to him, clutching him by the arm, "Let's go."

Sogiita blinked as he let the unknown girl pull him out of the crowd, both ignoring the whispering and chatter of every student about the two. Sogiita glanced at her, noticing she looked nervous. Her gaze darted from left to right, and she gripped his arm tightly as they advanced. While this was new to Sogiita, honestly, being like this with a cute girl brought him a nice sensation.

"Where are we going?" Sogiita asked suspiciously, "I should be raising my guts with my classmates in the sports field. Didn't you hear the message from the director's secretary?"

"Maybe you have failed to notice, but I don't belong to your school," She raised an eyebrow, her tone sarcastic. "You're sort of a klutz, are you not?"

Sogiita was totally sure now. She was a foreigner, her white-as-snow skin and odd accent proved it, making him even more curious about her.

_(Who is she really? I sense a lot of guts in her but…)_

"I don't need to be smart if I have guts!" He responded, pounding his fist together, "But that doesn't mean I'm a foolish person," He smirked. "…because my guts make me keen enough!"

The brown-haired gal stared at him blankly for what was a minute, sighing eventually before she grabbed his hand and continued to pull him through another corridor. They eventually reached some stairs and went up, not stopping as both remained silent.

"Why are we going up to the third floor?" Sogiita eventually broke the silence and inquired, scratching his head with his free hand.

Upon reaching the next level by the stairs, she turned around and looked at him confused, "Third floor? We are in the second floor, silly."

"Non non!" Sogiita shook his head, "My class is in the second floor! Now that we went up the stairs, we are in the third floor!"

The girl frowned, standing in front of him. Sogiita blinked as he just fully noticed her short stature. She had to raise her head a bit to look at his face.

"I beg to differ, I'm quite positive that your class is in the first floor," She argued, sharp eyes focused on the level 5. "Are you trying to take me for a prat?"

"Nope, I'm just saying that your guts are wrong, missy," Sogiita responded, folding his arms. "This is my school, and I can bet all my guts that my class is in the second floor!" He gazed at her with amusement, "You said you didn't belong to this school, so it's pretty logical if you think about it!"

The girl dressed in black bit her lip. He could tell that realization came to her in that moment, so he grinned at her.

"I just noticed that we're having a dumb debate because of our different nationalities…" She admitted, and Sogiita widened his eyes when she confirmed his thoughts about her foreign origins, "In my country, the first level of any structure is called ground floor, followed by the first floor, second floor, etc…" The girl elaborated, "I guess I should accept that your class was in indeed in the second floor according to the language customs of this country."

"See?" He smirked, feeling victorious, "My guts were smarted than yours!"

The girl with stockings sighed, "Whatever smart-arse, let's just continue," She spun around and finally advanced by her own. "Don't just stand there like a bloody git, follow me."

Sogiita shrugged his shoulders and did just that. After a few moments…

"Wait a second," She suddenly stopped on her tracks, her face slightly red as her legs wiggled. "I need to use the toilet."

"Toi…what?" Sogiita blinked.

"You call that bathroom around here! Sheesh, I wonder why the Japanese language is so dumb… I suppose I'm still not good enough with it…" The brunette growled, her face redder, "Just wait right here until I'm done," She narrowed her gaze dangerously. "Am I clear, mate?"

Sogiita shrugged his shoulders. She seemed to be satisfied with that answer and proceeded to enter the bathroom for female students. As he waited, the black-haired boy leaned over a wall with crossed arms as he observed the ceiling.

The level 5 used this time to ponder a bit. He had ignored too many things that could very well be related to a possible end of the world, though honestly, it was still too soon to accept it. A lot of bad stuff was happening around, and Sogiita knew that was to be considered to be somewhat normal, so he had to wait for more signs to finally belief what that weird man said to him in a certain hospital room.

"I will need more guts!" He nodded to himself, raising a fist, "Until then, I'll wait."

With that decided, he glanced sideways at the door of the bathroom where the girl that presented herself as his girlfriend was currently in.

Minutes passed and he still waited, eyes shut and arms folded while his index finger fidgeted. He glanced again at the door and returned to the same position. Three more minutes elapsed then, his left eyebrow twitched in irritation. There was no sign of the girl coming out soon, and he was wasting time doing nothing.

Sogiita walked to the door, his patience gone, and pushed it, only to blink in surprise at the unexpected sight. To begin with, there was not only one person but two actually, obviously both girls as this was the girl's bathroom.

Now, here came where Sogiita's mind was completely shaken up.

The unknown brunette was… the word was… touching? His eyes widened when Sogiita saw how his 'girlfriend' fingered another girl from his school. As the brunette hugged the orange-haired student from behind, her hand fondled her chest under the school uniform while the other hand was under her…

"What are you two doing?" He asked bewildered, "Hmm? That hand over there is…?"

The unknown girl glared at him, while the student just kept her eyes shut, one hand on her mouth, with small tears at the edges of her eyes, her face totally red. Even if it seemed that the student was being sexually harassed by the brunette, her face told him that she was enjoying it…

"Didn't I tell you to wait outside!?" The brunette shouted, the student snapping out of her trance as she widened her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs upon seeing the level 5.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

Sogiita gave one step back and stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. The door closed and he looked at both sides to see if there was anyone around. He scratched his head as he recalled that probably everyone was in the sports field now, hearing whatever message the Director wanted to give them, with the obvious exception of the student in that bathroom of course.

The door suddenly opened, and the brunette appeared, grabbing his hand again and pulling him away from the bathroom's door. Both ran to the next set of stairs, going up until they reach a new door. Upon opening it, the fenced rooftop of his school came into sight.

"Phew… that was close…" She groaned, supporting her hands over her knees as she panted. "I'm… totally… knackered…"

Sogiita shrugged his shoulders, making a mental note about her low stamina. She was not the athletic type of girl apparently, kind of expected honestly.

"What were you doing to my classmate, missy?" He inquired with a confused look, "Actually, I kind of got to see what you were doing…" He smirked, "Doing something like that while I was waiting outside was kind of gutsy of your part, and perverted!"

"That is not your business, flake…" She growled. "I told you to not go in."

Sogiita yawned, "But you were taking too long, I almost fall sleep," He walked to the middle of the roof, extending his arms upward. He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "Anyway, can you tell me now what this is about, missy? I don't know you and I'm sure I don't have a girlfriend," He stated firmly, though saying the latter hurt his pride a bit. "You displayed a lot of guts when you said that you were my girlfriend, but why did you do that?"

The girl stared at him before she sat by a bench near the fence, her expression thoughtful. Sogiita sat at her side and glanced sideways at her with only one eye open, waiting for her reply.

"I'm sure you have acknowledged already that I'm a foreigner," She looked at him, but averted her eyes from him almost instantly, "You are not that dumb to not notice, aye…?" She raised her head, looking at the sky, "I'm here to help you."

"Okay!" He nodded, "Before I ask you anything, can you tell me your name? Things work better when people present themselves!"

She looked doubtful, as if she was deciding her answer. It seemed that she was not willing to reveal her name, though as a minute passed, she put on a resigned smile and finally spoke.

"My name is Isadora, the last member of the Sprengel Family of England," He raised an eyebrow, yet said nothing. The girl continued, "I'm a magician."

"Okay!" He nodded again.

She blinked at his reply, "Okay?" She crossed her legs and arms, "That's all you are going to say? Okay?"

"Ah," He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Sprengel-san! I sense you have a lot of guts!" She dropped her shoulders, sweat dropping with an expression of utter disbelief. He frowned upon seeing her reaction, but shrugged it off as a question popped up in his mind. "What is a magician anyway?"

"I was hoping you'd ask that!" Isadora snapped, "You're more of a git than I have ever imagined," She closed her eyes, assuming a disinterested pose. "Seeing how dumb and crazy you are, I think I'll need to explain this thoroughly."

Sogiita was not the least bothered by her rude comments, in fact, if there was something that he would never take seriously is someone calling him dumb or crazy as he knew well that no great mind has ever existed without a little touch of madness and stupidity.

He could admit that sometimes he got carried away during fights, making always a mess of any place where he used his esper abilities. It was his guts, he concluded, not insanity or lust for fighting strong opponents.

"I'm listening," He supported his elbows on his knees, observing her. "My guts are ready!"

Isadora sighed, then spoke seriously, "I'm not entirely sure about that…" She looked hesitant, "Anyhow, I will explain this once, so please concentrate."

"Getting sleepy again… can you tell me already!?" He urged, leaning his back to the fence.

She pouted, "You're so mean…" She then rolled her eyes, "I don't know why you keep saying 'guts this', 'guts that' but heck, let's begin."

"I'm all ears," He said reassuringly.

Sogiita truly sensed guts within the cute girl, whoever she was, yet, he somehow knew that she wasn't what he was looking for.

He could count the times he talked with a girl like this. Actually, if he was to really count, the number would be… one. Truth to be told, Sogiita was never popular among girls despite his level 5 status due to, they tended to say, the rather explosive personality he displayed. Despite this, the Number 7 still harbored the hope of meeting a girl with an equal amount of guts that would finally understand him.

The brunette at his side was not the one as far as he could tell.

"Let me ask you something first…" She stood up, her short skirt moving with the wind, purple underwear becoming visible for a mere second. He blinked and shook his head to remove his impure thoughts. Thankfully, the girl seemed unaware of what his eyes managed to get a glimpse of, "Do you belief in magic?"

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 02

* * *

Sogiita stared at her blankly and responded, "No. Why would I believe in something so gut-less?" He scratched his head. "Do you?"

"Yes, because it exists!" Isadora exclaimed, looking excited, "Supernatural phenomena that is not related in any way to science, created by those that studied the… in your terms it would be the occult."

"…Okay?" He looked doubtful for obvious reasons, yet shrugged his shoulders, "You say that magic exists. How does it work?"

She smirked, seemingly happy with his questions, "Magic is a complex system of arts, disciplines and traditions that are solidly based in laws and knowledge unknown to all human sciences," She elaborated while he nodded in understanding. "Magic sought to manipulate and distort certain aspects of our reality in order to create supernatural powers, similar to the ones that espers and gemstones use."

"So magic works with a different set of rules, granting whoever used it supernatural abilities?" Isadora nodded, her cheeks red with joy, "Is learning magic another sort of program like the power curriculum? Does magic have guts?"

She blinked, not really expecting that, "Well… erm… sort of…" She muttered, frankly unsure.

Sogiita crossed his arms, eyes closed as he mused profoundly. His eyebrows twitched, a focused expression painted on his face while the girl remained silent, and expectant.

"Well, I won't say that magic doesn't exist, but I won't belief in it either until I see it with my own eyes. In the end, it's only a matter of guts!" He stated, remaining in the same pose. "So, why are you bringing this up?"

"You'll see soon enough…" She looked at him darkly, "Dark times are coming. Evil will arrive to our world and the phase of destruction will start to consume it. Beings of unspeakable characteristics will shatter our reality, and there's no stopping it."

"You are babbling the same stuff as that weird man," He muttered, putting a hand under his chin. "Well, coincidences exist."

"They do not!" She spat in disbelief, "Aren't you an esper!? To believe in something so vague such as coincidences isn't something that goes against this city's believes?" She sighed, "And you mean The Black Seeder?" Isadora darkened her gaze even more, "Do you realize how serious this situation is? That someone like him would come himself to ask you to stop the end of our world…?"

She sat on the bench again as he asked in surprise, "How do you know about that?" Sogiita frowned at her odd smile, yet found himself getting excited for no reason, "Have you met that man too?" He inquired as he recalled the sensation of the abnormal amount of guts that the man with black skin and dark robes exuded, "Who's the Black Seeder?"

"Naïve lad, you amuse me," She giggled, cold eyes on the boy, "The Black Seeder is the solid prove that science doesn't hold the universal truth," She stated with conviction. "Nor magic…" She looked at the ground, smiling darkly, "I can't answer that inquiry though as his existence eludes the human comprehension."

"I don't get this at all, but he had a huge amount of guts! His aura was mighty!" Sogiita was having a hard time recollecting what was being said, yet he could tell it was amazing, "What does this magic you speak of had to do with it?" He stared at her intently, "It doesn't make any sense, and not even my guts can get it."

"You don't need to get it, really…" She dropped her gaze, voice breaking, "There are things that are not meant to be grasped."

She suddenly clutched his arm, yet her gaze was kept on her legs. Sogiita blinked as he felt again he medium-sized chest on his limb and scratched his cheek in mild embarrassment. A whole minute in silence passed, the Number 7 observing her from edge of his eyes.

Isadora looked nostalgic and a bit fearful.

"Hmm…" He began, "…you… ok? Maybe you're hungry?"

"No…I'm not…" She retorted, now looking depressed, "I have lost too many important people since he died…" The brunette muttered, letting her head rest on his shoulder, "What am I supposed to do with it… it hurts too much…"

Sogiita was at loss for words as this came out so suddenly. Also, he couldn't relate to her as he had yet to lose someone dear to him, but her reaction was understandable. He pondered a bit as both embraced the silence around them, soft gusts of wind caressing their skin sporadically.

"Do you want to talk about it? I think that sometimes is better to let it out so you can move on," He said softly, unsure of what he was doing. She nodded slowly and he formulated his first question. "You said since 'he died'. Who exactly? A familiar?"

She shook her head, "I had no parents since I had use of reason," Isadora revealed, much to his surprise, "The person that died was a boy I met three month ago. He wasn't even my friend as he could not remember me."

Sogiita noticed she held in her hands a blue gem, and she played with it, "I don't understand much, but my guts tell me there's more than just that" He glanced again at the blue gem, "Is that gem related to that boy?"

"…Would you believe me if I told you that inside this little jewel resides part of his memories?" She said with sadness, and Sogiita frowned.

"I could, but how so?"

"It's magic…" She raised her head from his arm and stared into his eyes, "Are you willing to see them? His memories?"

Sogiita was surprised. He did not believe in magic, but her seriousness brought him doubts about the matter. If what she said was true, then the world hid a side unknown to him. Esper abilities could be explained with science, then… what could explain magic abilities?

The fact that he didn't have the slightest idea of what was magic make him excited, because he realized the world around him was vast and there were possibly many new things he could discover and interesting people he could meet. Such was the brunette that held an odd gem on her hands.

Isadora stated that the gem held the memories of a deceased boy, which was hard to believe, but if he thought about it, one only needed all his guts and will to accomplish the unthinkable, no matter the mean used to accomplish it.

As far as he knew, there was no object such as a gem that could store that sort of information, human memories that is, but if it was the magic that she claimed that existed, then…

"While it would be awesome, I actually think it would be wrong," Sogiita replied with determination. "His memories only belong to him!"

The brunette jumped from the bench and stood just in front of him, "But you must see them!" She argued, "Only then you will truly believe me, and only then you might be able stop the end of our world! I need you to believe me, and believe in him, in Touma…"

_(That name!)_

"In him?" Realization came to Sogiita, "Do you mean the boy that died two months ago in School District 18? That's the person you were talking about?"

"Yes… The same boy that 'he' told you to bring back," She responded with resolution, "Touma Kamijou."

"He had a lot of guts!" He commented, "To die for the sake of his city is what I call being a Hero! Though that weird dude said he could defeat gods. What does that mean?"

"I will answer all your doubts but you must see his memories first," Isadora declared, "I'm here to help you because the Black Seeder appeared before me too and asked me to aid you."

He nodded, "He probably knew of my strength and guts!" Sogiita narrowed his gaze then, now looking a bit confused, "But why you? Are you strong?" A feral smirk spread across his lips, "He must have chosen you because of your guts, I'm sure!"

The brunette folded her arms, her brown eyes moving across the rooftop. She sniffed and finally faced him again with a smiled.

"I actually asked him that," She rested a hand on her hip, "He wanted people from both the science and the magic side for this task. 'He' chose you because you have the most resistant mind of the level 5 espers, and the true will to change the current phase."

"Magic side? Phase?" He repeated, startled, "And I thought the fifth rate had the gutsiest mind. Though I'm positive that if I trained my mind to the limits, I could resist any mental attack!"

"Well, apparently, her mind is not working properly after the death of Touma Kamijou," She informed, "My informant told me that she had completely disappeared after an incident where three members of the board of directors were found in a really bad condition," Isadora bit her lip. "She destroyed their minds mercilessly, and they were left as dolls without will. The higher-ups of your city managed to cover this up and kept it a secret."

"Wow… she probably blames them for what happened to that boy. So the number 5 is not reliable now. She lacked guts, I suppose," Sogiita concluded. "I assume that the number one was also discarded because he killed those students, right? I heard about that from a friend."

"I don't know much about it, but from what I do know, he is a psycho that enjoys crushing his opponents, so killing is not out of the question… though I would like to investigate a bit about him…" Isadora said sternly, "So yeah. As for the others… the number 2 is said to be as bad as the number 1, number 6 had been kidnapped by the US government, and the number 4 is just insane."

"Insane guts, huh? That I would like to see!" He said to himself, "What about the sparky missy, the number 3?" He inquired, recalling the day when he first met her. She even challenged him to a fight. "Why won't ask her…?"

Isadora made a sorrowful expression, sighing, "That's not possible… I guess…" She sat again, looking quite depressed, "As me, she had lost many friends and is deeply depressed… she almost committed suicide…"

That was totally unexpected and Sogitta was clearly shocked.

"How is that possible?" He asked in disbelief, "She had a lot of guts! I can't imagine that she would try to take her own life! Only a coward would do something like that!"

"I know her, and I'm the one that stopped Mikoto and convinced her to abandon that insane thought…" Isadora revealed, looking remorseful, "All this occurred because Touma Kamijou didn't exist anymore," She elaborated, her posture displayed exhaustion. "When the Black Seeder appeared before me, he showed me the past and future."

"Awesome!" He shouted, clenching a fist with excitement.

She shook her head slowly, "No, it's not," She raised her legs over the bench and hugged them tightly with both arms, resting her chin on her knees. "I saw the consequences of Touma's death," As she said it, a bottle materialized at her side, startling the level 5. "Come out useless imp. Show it already," Isadora growled with scorn at the bottle.

A blue light came out of the bottle and flied onto the sky, to only return and explode just in front of Sogiita. He was speechless, trying to figure what just occurred. Some seconds passed as shining red letters began to form in middle air, revealing some sort of text.

It looked simply cool to him.

"I wrote all I could remember…" Her gaze darkened, "Yet, despite that I saw the future, I couldn't save the people I cared about because it was already too late," She dropped her gaze again. "If only 'he' had appeared sooner, then I would have…"

Her voice faded as she looked even more depressed. Sogiita couldn't understand what she wanted to explain, nor the text that was being displayed as it was written in a foreign language. Though he could tell that the guy called Kamijou Touma was apparently the indirect guilty of her apparent suffering.

"Tell me why he is so important," Sogiita spoke with genuine interest, before a determined expression covered his features, "His memories will answer my question?"

Isadora said nothing for a whole minute, yet Sogiita waited for her reply, not removing his gaze from her for even a second. The sun in the horizon was beginning to set, orange covering the city of Science.

She raised her head, "Yes…" Her reply was soft, weak, as if she was mentally exhausted.

"I don't how this gem holding his memories works, but…" He nodded reassuringly, "If you can make me see them, go ahead," He raised a fist while putting the other hand over the upper limb firmly, "My guts are overflowing!"

Sogiita Gunha grinned when the brunette smiled brightly at him. If he was to describe it, it was a sincere and beautiful smile, filled with determination.

Isadora put the blue gem on the ground as she muttered some words in another language, a shining circle appearing over the ground around the gem. Sogiita tried to relate this phenomenon to esper abilities, yet he realized that he was wrong when the gem startled glowing before a ball of intense white light originated from the jewel and moved straight to his face.

He was so stunned by the odd circumstances that he had failed to react in time as the white light simply covered his sight and Sogiita felt his consciousness fade away.

**Part 4**

My sight became clear, my eyes meeting the sight of certain park covered in darkness. There was nothing special about it when suddenly, a bush moved by its own. Fear covered my body as a moan was heard in the surroundings.

"What was that?" I said to myself, yet I could not recognize my own voice. It was as if my mouth moved by its own.

This was not my body, or my voice. It was as if I was looking through eyes that didn't belong to me. It was when I realized it.

I was seeing the memories of Kamijou Touma through his eyes. Was this the magic of that girl, I wondered. The body of Kamijou started to move, his eyes scanning the area, not really knowing what he could find.

"Did I just imagine that or what?" Kamijou's voice said, though I was sure I saw something move near the bushes.

I heard more sounds then-

"Who's there!?"

The boy yelled out loud when suddenly, the same bush moved again before a bloodied hand emerged from it, making his cautiousness grow exponentially. I could feel his anxiety and fear when that occurred. A new desperate moan was heard, and the boy tensed in shock.

Many possibilities came into my mind that would explain this event; most were ignored until I reached the conclusion that whatever was happening in front of Kamijou was real, not just a possibility.

"H…h…elp… me…"

His eyes widened in terror when the form of a broken girl appeared out of the bush, covered in blood. I felt his fear become wrath, yet all he could do was to call emergencies to save the life of this girl. How could someone attack a girl and leave her on the verge of death? Whoever did it had not guts at all.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was angry.

**/Point Blank/**

Kamijou barely managed to go through Anti-skill's interrogatory in order to discover who was behind the cruel attack on the student, though he basically knew nothing. I knew he didn't.

As he entered the car of the police to be escorted home, the boy swore to himself that he was not going to let that bastard do as he pleased. I sensed his guts becoming determined, and I could tell that Kamijou made a promise.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was afflicted.

**/Point Blank/**

"Could it be that…?" A bespectacled spiky-haired girl directed her eyes to him, "It was you, isn't it? I saw in the news about the new attack, and they said a student of this school found the victim," Gasps erupted around, "I thought I saw you walking in the background but I wasn't so sure."

Kamijou looked around the class; students that were unknown to me gazed at the boy with pity and concern. A tiny girl with pink hair frowned, looking deeply worried, while a blond boy with sunglasses approached him.

"Is this true, Kami-yan?" Asked the blond with serious tone.

I wondered why he was called like that; maybe his friends had a nick to call him by. I soon felt his mouth move.

"Yes, it's true, but I rather not talk about it," The boy replied sternly. I could feel his angered undertone, and considering what he witnessed, I could understand him.

"OK… Kamijou-chan…" The pinkette said, averting her eyes, "Let's… continue the class. We'll talk later-desu."

Among the students that observed Kamijou, a girl with long black hair and a prominent forehead gazed at him with clear concern, yet the boy feigned to not notice her stare. That girl radiated guts so why!? I couldn't understand why he chose to ignore her completely.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was doubtful.

**/Point Blank/**

A long conversation had just ended with the pinkette that happened to be Kamijou's homeroom teacher, Tsukuyomi Komoe.

"Well, Komoe-sensei… I'm going home," The boy said suddenly, the petit girl frowning at that.

"Kamijou-chan… Are you sure you are going to be alright?" She asked, her tone a bit shaky, "I knew that allowing you to make those night patrols wouldn't bring any good to you-desu."

I was startled upon hearing about the night patrols, which made me realize that maybe Kamijou was like me, someone who's goal was to always protect the weak from those that were stronger.

"It's better like this," He replied, making a fist, "I rather know the truth than to live ignorant to it… At least, I know what I'm going to do now."

"Kamijou-chan?"

I could feel strong resolution within him, guts if I would call them, but they were of a dark nature, because I knew that the police failed by allowing that girl to be massacred, so it fell on him to stop the bastard, no matter the cost, no matter what he had to do.

"Don't worry sensei. This Kamijou-san will be fine," The boy replied solemnly.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was resolute.

**/Point Blank/**

Two bloodied corpses laid down before him, much to his outrage. Even when the boy heard the screams of a girl and a woman, all he found was a crime scene. His widened eyes moved from the blood his fingers graced from the ground to the wall where a message was left for him to see.

**ArE You FoLLowIng Me? YoU BeTtEr dO bEcaUSe I aM nOt StOpInG :)**

"This is…!"

It was horrible, and the boy could only grit his teeth in anger as he smashed the wall with his left hand, not caring for the pain he hand now held. It was understandable as he had failed to protect them and avoid this tragedy. I even had expected the wall to break apart from the hit, but I realized this boy had not the power to do so, unlike me.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was indignant and furious.

**/Point Blank/**

"Is… is there a problem?" The voice that didn't belong to me came out of my mouth, in fact his mouth, the question made directed at the level 3, Misaka Mikoto.

She observed him with suspicion, "Do you know that two persons were murdered recently just around the corner?" She asked sternly.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I heard…"

"You heard?" Misaka narrowed her gaze, "Then why do you have blood in your hand if you just heard about it?"

I realized that she had seen the hand that touched the bloodied ground back at the crime scene before Kamijou hid them in his pants' pockets, and that was certainly bad. Her suspicion was not misplaced.

"Hm?" The boy took both hands out of the pockets; there was some blood on the fingertips and part of the palm of his left hand, "I guess… there is no use hiding it. I was the one who found the victim and called emergencies."

"And you are here because…?" Misaka crossed her arms, her scowl becoming prominent. "Shouldn't you be informing any important detail to Anti-Skill right now? Or… are you hiding from them?"

"I just don't want to have anything to do with this… I am as terrified as you are," Was his reply at her indirect accusation, "The only thing I could do was to call Anti-Skill, but I don't want to get interrogated by them. That's why I called as an anonymous."

Misaka observed him thoroughly. "…Well, I guess that could be true…"

"It's true," Kamijou affirmed with conviction. I knew it was true.

The girl obviously looked unconvinced as her sharp gaze still tried to penetrate his mental defenses, but the boy was saying the truth. As far as I had seen, it was pretty clear that this boy had bad luck, the prove of it was that he had just earned the mistrust of a level 5, that probably was taking him as a possible suspect of the recent murders. Not gutsy at all indeed.

"If you say so," Saying that, she spun around and walked away.

The boy sighed, "That was close…" He then muttered to himself, "Fukou da…"

I, Sogiita Gunha, was worried.

**/Point Blank/**

It was true, this boy and me were alike. We both fought to protect, we never ignored those that needed help, we both never sought any sort of reward in doing it as we only desired a world where everyone could be happy… and we both had a lot of guts.

Yet there was one absolute difference between us… the power.

This boy was apparently a level 0, he had no power or any supernatural ability, yet, he risked his life for the weak, fully knowing that he had a higher percentage of dying due to his ordinary capabilities. I could see regardless that he was above average, but that was never enough to face those that held a lot of guts and power. That didn't stopped him from doing what he believed though.

Kamijou Touma had more guts than me, because as powerless as he was, he never faltered when he protected innocent people. He had more guts that anyone I could ever imagine.

The solid proof was that he stood firmly between a scared Tokiwadai girl and a large group of thugs that had intimidated her with the obvious intent of abusing her. Seeing that made me furious and I sensed Kamijou felt the same. Even now that he had a wound shot in the back, he stood before her as if to shield the girl from them.

Kamijou Touma was full of guts!

"Gintoki-kun! Don't move!" She called out desperately, using a name that didn't belong to him, yet as she didn't really knew his name, I suppose that she came up with one to address him.

His weak voice resounded in the alleyway, "You have to run… or else…"

"Don't ask me to do that! I…" She argued, making a serious expression, "I will not abandon you here! Like you did with me, I will not leave you!"

I was really impressed, she had guts too. Kamijou blinked several times, eyeing her over his shoulder. The steps of the delinquents could be heard as they began to approach them.

"I'm sure that you will end begging for you to become my slave by the time I'm done with you, little hottie, hehehe," The leader of the gang said mockingly, repulsively licking his lips.

I seriously wanted to land one of my gutsiest amazing punches on that dude for daring to intimidate a girl. These guys lacked guts!

"P-please! Let us go," Tears streamed down the girls cheeks as she pleaded desperately, her voice breaking. "He is going to die if I don't take him to a hospital..."

The gang leader sneered, "Bitch! What do you think is the purpose of a pistol? Or any firearm for that matter?" He glanced at his pistol evilly, "To kill, ain't that right?"

At that, the weakened boy moved much to my surprise, and delivered a swift uppercut to the nearest thug, before he shouted fiercely, "Run! I'll hold them here!"

"I can't leave you here!" She shot back, "I just can't!"

I knew she meant good, Kamijou also did, but in this desperate situation, it was unwanted. He opened his mouth to retort but he stopped when a black form fell from the sky, landing just in front of him. I couldn't help becoming excited as the new presence, a black-haired girl, stood on her feet. She looked awesome and full of guts.

"What? Where did this bitch come from?" A tall thug commented in surprise as the leader pushed himself through the other thugs, shoving them aside like nothing and completely ignoring the guy on the ground who he stepped on.

"Well, well…" He smirked, "Look what we have here?"

The girl, who wore a suit of sorts stated the following, "You are all under arrest for causing harm to a citizen and illegally carrying and using firearms."

"Is that so?" He cracked his knuckles, chuckling. I wished I had my esper powers to punch his nose, "You are not from Anti-Skill or from those kids playing like cops, are you? So… You must be affiliated with some private organization, I suppose."

"You don't need to know," Her hard haze buried holes in them. "You don't deserve to know," Her voice was cold. "Surrender or I'll be forced to use violence."

"Ooohh… Just you know," His face twisted, "I happen to be the kind of guy that likes playing rough."

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 03

* * *

The nerve of these guys. Man, I wanted to just let my guts go all out and kick their asses, but this was just a memory not of my own. I could do nothing, just watch Kamijou act.

The boy spoke, "I don't know who are you, but you two must get out of here…" His voice resounded in the alley.

"Fool!" The black-haired girl snapped, "You are not going to get anything by playing hero in that state! Only death if you continue your reckless actions!"

She was right, but no matter how right she was, there was not backing up now, I knew it, and Kamijou knew it. The boy steeled his resolve, and simply waited in silence for the moment to act. Kamijou was indeed like me, no matter would could happen to him, he had to remain loyal to his beliefs, to his guts!

"I was meaning to let you bleed to death, but if you are that desperate, I will accelerate the process with pleasure," He eyed both females with perverse eyes, "After I'm done with you, we're going to have fun with the two hotties over there."

The leader cracked his knuckles, smiling wickedly as he moved towards the immobile teen.

The boy felt a hand on his shoulder, which tried to pull him backwards, but he planted his foot firmly on the ground. No holding back. Full of guts!

"Is that so? Bring it, I'm right here," He answered in a quiet voice that had an undercurrent of rage beneath it.

"Just stand back!" She yelled, "I will handle this!"

It was too late however as the leader had move to engage at him.

The boy reacted swiftly and tackled their leader down, cutting short of the thug's attack. I could not believe that as someone with no ability whatsoever, he could pull his body to such limits and move with the deep wound on his back. Such guts!

Kamijou prevented any movement from the thug using sheer strength and pummeled him repeatedly, punctuating fierce words as punches landed on the thugs face.

"You think. You can. Harm. Others. Just. Because. You can?!"

Unbelievably, then teen dragged the disoriented leader up by his shirt collar. Nobody could believe the sight of a bloodied teen using one hand to pull the thug up… not even me.

He gritted his teeth ferociously and roared, "If you do, then let me show you the fist that will destroy that fucked up illusion of yours!"

The noise of a nose breaking was the last thing everyone heard when a final punch impacted on the thug's face, sending the leader towards his underlings.

"Boss? Boss!?" A gang member yelled. "Kill that shitty bastard!"

His sight blurred, the thugs seemed to be approaching, and the last thing his eyes could see was the black-haired girl standing once more in front of him before closing his eyes.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was deeply impressed.

**/Point Blank/**

The boy observed at the three persons inside the hospital room he apparently had awaken in. The girl that was saved in that alley was here along with two other persons.

"But what can you do?" A girl, in fact, his sempai asked worriedly, "What can you do to help? You are not even at full strength and they said this killer is a maniac with absurd speed and reflexes," She sighed, "You remember you are just a student, right?"

I didn't know the girl with black short hair that reached her shoulders, but she was called sempai by the injured boy, however, a blonde sitting in the same bed he was resting on was familiar. Now that I thought about it, he recalled seeing her one time when she walked alongside a large group of Tokiwadai students.

"It's only a matter of time," Commented the blond as she stood up from the bed and walked to the door, "They will capture them with or without your help, Touma-chan."

A friend of mine told me that girl was actually a level 5, the fifth ranked. She seemed to be close to the spiky-haired boy, so I guessed that both shared a past together. The girls around him were hot!

"Maybe it's just a matter of time, but people are getting hurt," His voice was full of guts, "If I can reduce in any way the number of injured people, then it will be worth it," The three girls were startled by his determined posture, hell yeah! "Even if I have to risk my life, this is what I'm going to do."

The girl with wavy hair pouted, "But… you could die, Kamijou-kun…" His sharp gaze made her voice fade, as if she was intimidated.

"Don't take me lightly," He said under his breath, standing up from the bed, "What can I do, you asked?" He glanced at his sempai, "Destroy their illusions!"

I, Sogiita Gunha, was excited.

**/Point Blank/**

"…Magic?" A boy deadpanned, doubtful.

"Yes… magic," A certain girl nodded, her face taking on a prideful expression.

It seemed that this boy, Kamijou, indeed knew Isadora Sprengel, who claimed to be a magician, whatever that meant. I couldn't tell why the girl was wearing a weird outfit that made her look like a character from video games, especially the strange black hat she sported.

A question popped in my mind as I recalled what Isadora said before. Why won't this boy remember her if they knew each other?

The boy mused profoundly as the girl also tried to convince this boy of the existence of magic. She said something about tracking the magic essence of Var to find the culprits of the recent murders. She even made something weird when she started speaking robotically as some sort of light that came from a bottle created a shiny circle over the ground. Her bright red eyes were a bit startling, but not that much as some people had stated that my own eyes became bright and shiny when I released all my guts.

The boy was doubtful so he asked, "By magic, what do you… mean?"

Isadora furrowed her brows as she pouted, "I mean magic!" She retorted.

"Magic?" He asked again.

"Yes! Magic!" She shouted exasperatedly, waving her arms frenetically in a cute manner, "True, powerful and diverse magic! Magic!"

"You mean like those tricks the people on TV and shows pull off? I don't think you can call that true, powerful or whatever," The boy explained with conviction, and it made sense to me, too. "It has been proved that all that magic they claimed to achieve was only smart schemes made to deceive one's perception, or something like that."

The magician looked offended, clutching her skirt as she snarled at him, "You call that magic?" She gibed, "How old are you?"

He retaliated, "Old enough to know that real magic does not exist."

"It exists!" Isadora argued, "I just cast a tracking spell in front of you!"

I wondered if the spell was related to the magic she claimed to exist, all of this was still hard to believe. She needed to show more guts!

"You can't be possibly serious, I mean, you are saying that supernatural magic exists?" Kamijou asked in disbelief," That's just crazy."

"Crazy is what your city had done by creating and training people with psychic abilities," The brunette grimaced, "Their mere existence denies the destiny that God had designated for this world."

I had no idea what was she talking about, not Kamijou apparently, "I'm not gonna argue about religion with you, or foreign religion in your case, but let me tell you this," He became serious, "I can't accept the existence of magic."

"…Why?" She approached him, "As far as I can see, you accept the existence of esper abilities, which are supernatural, yet you won't accept magic. THAT doesn't make any sense."

Kamijou scratched his head before folding his arms, "Esper abilities are created by developing the human brain through the use of esperin that is injected to the veins, electrodes that are attached to the neck and certain rhythms that are played through headphones."

That was true, but as a Gemstone I never needed those artificial means to become strong. My guts were all I needed!

Isadora lowered her head and asked, "So? What is your point?"

"You don't get it? The existence of espers can be explained with science, which is not the case with magic," The boy elaborated, "The standard procedures used in order to create espers are scientific and had been proved, that's why I accept that kind of supernatural abilities…" He sighed, "Tell me, what would be the point of developing psychic abilities if magic existed?"

"That's a good question! Why create espers if magicians existed?" She repeated, "Sadly, there is only one answer to that."

"Which is…?" The boy urged. I was interested in the answer as well.

"Someone who lost faith in magic. Someone who was powerful with it, yet, he renounced to it," She spoke with vague words, "Someone that chose science instead, thus creating the foundation in which your current believes had taken form."

The boy narrowed his gaze, "…You are basically saying that Academy City was created by someone who believed in magic or possessed it?" He inquired and added, "If that is possible of course."

"Maybe…"

"You are only making me feel more skeptical about this, you know," Kamijou let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation… with a girl cosplaying as a witch! Just lead me to them; I can't afford to lose any more time."

A rather funny discussion followed where she stated that she was not a Mahou-shoujo antagonist, a **witch**. Either way, the boy put up some good arguments to prove that she at least looked like one and that magic couldn't exist. The boy just couldn't believe it, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"Where are you going? The bracelet is…" Lightning struck fiercely at a certain location, making both look on in surprise at the sudden phenomenon, "That way…"

He narrowed his eyes as he became more determined. Whatever was happening, the boy could tell that lightning was supernatural, so maybe something worth of notice was occurring there. The lightning reminded me of the time I faced that gutsy missy, #3.

"W-wait! I haven't told you about the bracelet yet!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the boy just continued to run away.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was a bit confused.

**/Point Blank/**

"What are your intentions, golden witch!?" A black-haired girl, one of the two masterminds behind the late murders in the city, glared at the self-proclaimed magician.

"Witch!?" Isadora snapped, "Who are you calling a witc-"

"Shut up! All of you!" The boy roared, earning everyone's attention. For some reason, I sensed that I was about to know all the guts this boy carried with him, "I don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about, nor do I care," Kamijou walked forward. "Your purpose, intentions, plans or whatever, I don't give a shit about them," The gutsy boy stood still, face to face with the enemy gemstone. "But you have messed with my city, my people, INNOCENT PEOPLE! I found your victims! Tell me! Why do something as monstrous as that!? TELL ME!"

"I don't give a damn! And you sure talk like you have business with us, huh…" **Teisō-gui**, second mastermind behind the recent kills, responded with a bored tone, "I'm sure you would not understand the reality of the situation you are in now, so let me warn you, return home and continue your pathetic and naïve student life," The brown-haired boy sneered, "As you have seen by coming here, this is not a game. I defeated all the security sent to stop me, so what makes you think that you, just some random boy playing hero, can do anything to accomplish what they couldn't?"

"Nothing makes me think that, really," He replied darkly, "Nevertheless, you are still going down."

Teisō-gui smirked, "Then I'm going to rip you apart with my telek-"

I didn't understand what happened next, but it was awesome either way! All of a sudden, his opponent just stood there with a shocked expression, "It's… it's not working? W-why?" He stammered, raising a hand towards Kamijou's direction, "Who are you!? What kind of bloody counter-ability are you using?"

The response came in the form a punch towards the male brunette's stomach, followed by one in the face. Blood dripped from his mouth as he glared daggers at his enemy, "You are going to pay for that!" Several objects began to float around him, "Die!"

Despite that Kamijou was a level 0, he proved again his guts by avoiding all the objects thrown at him, whether it was vans, corpses of dead Anti-skill members and pieces of junk. It didn't pass much time before the boy raised a hand to punch his enemy in the face again.

"Fool! Move!" A black-haired girl intercepted his attack with some sort of red thing that came out of her back as it created a wall to stop Kamijou's assault. Yet again, I would be surprised as the teen's fist simply shattered the wall like it was thin glass. Only a red lasso remained.

The gutsy level 0 continued to advance imperiously towards his first target, "S-stop! Wha-what are you?" The telekinesis user stuttered.

The boy grabbed Teisō-gui by the collar and shook him violently, "Do you expect me to be merciful with you after murdering those girls?" The boy was angry, I could feel his wrath, and I understood it! The bustard deserved no mercy, "They shouldn't have died!

Several hits kept landing on his face, "G… ghh… it… it wasn't me."

Kamijou stopped, "I know…" …and delivered a mighty head-butt to him, knocking him out cold. The boy waited several seconds to make sure Teisō-gui was down for good before he turned the girl, "I will not repeat this… Give up and turn yourself into the authorities," His sharp eyes made her nervous. "I wouldn't want to do the same with you."

"I have no way to escape, I see," The girl said weakly.

"You don't," Was Kamijou Touma's statement.

She could only give up. After that, the police came and apprehended the intruders and the assassin, and took Kamijou and Isadora inside the van to take them to a hospital, however, on the way there, the van stopped violently.

The boy moved outside, only to witness the unthinkable. A massive… **black thing** stood at some meters away from him, letting out black energy. Never in my life had I seen something so… supernatural and fearsome. The boy widened his eyes as two black wings protruded from it and created furious gusts of wind.

Kamijou planted his foot firmly and clutched the van's door behind him as he wondered… Could science create such a gutsy thing? Or… was it magic?

"We need to chase after her!" He looked over his shoulder; it was Isadora, "She is going to destroy this city if we don't stop her!"

"She? That thing is a she?" The boy turned around completely, gazing at her with disbelieving eyes, "You know what that thing is? Explain yourself."

"I know why that girl surrendered," She neared him, looking troubled. "She needed time to chant a demonic spell, though I didn't think she would activate it while it was incomplete," She was talking nonsense again, "That thing you just saw is Ragnarok, or at least the almost completed Ragnarok."

The teen folded his arms, "So that monster was created by them?"

"Summoned," She corrected. "To activate Ragnarok requires the blood of all the Valkyrie descendants from Valhalla that were scattered through the world" More and more strange terms continued to be said, much to my confusion, "Ragnarok is not complete because it lacks the blood of one of them; however, the spell is still quite powerful as you have seen."

"Again, I don't understand a thing you are saying, but it doesn't matter now," He turned to see to the sky, where the black thing had flied to. "How are we going to stop her if gunfire couldn't… or you are going to use… ehm… magic to do it," I snickered on the inside, thinking that it was funny that the Kamijou said that. It was as if he had started believing in magic too.

After seeing that massive black thing, who wouldn't? I certainly could deny such a thing with that level of guts.

"I'm more than capable of handling Ragnarok, but…" She hesitated.

"But?" Kamijou urged her. If she could defeat something like that, then it meant that she was powerful! I was getting excited again!

"A full third of this city would immediately be destroyed," It seemed she was not joking when she said that. She had a lot of guts so I truly believed her, "Do you want that, mate?"

"Of course not…" Kamijou sighed in resignation before raising an eyebrow when the brunette pointed her index at him.

"Then **_you_** stop it," She simply said, making the boy widen his eyes. I wondered how a level 0 without powers could achieve that, "If anyone can do it, then it's you."

Seconds passed as the boy seemed lost in thought, but only until the boy realized something I didn't, "I can…" Isadora smiled cheerfully, "…can't I?"

"Yes… The Imagine Breaker can stop it," The Imagine Breaker? What was that? Did the boy Kamijou possess it? Whatever it was, it should be full of guts if it could stop that thing. "No matter if its origins are magical or scientific; you can stop it as long as it's supernatural. Only you can defeat Ragnarok and avoid destruction."

Sogiita Gunha, the level 5 that was observing the memories of Kamijou Touma, concluded that this boy held a hidden power despite that he was labelled as a zero. He suspected it when the pointy-haired boy simply destroyed the red wall created by that girl to stop him, and even Teisō-gui said he couldn't use his telekinetic abilities with him.

What was the **Imagine Breaker**?

I, The Number 7, was intrigued.

**/Point Blank/**

He could not believe how things turned out like this as the boy stood in front of the **black thing**, though he could see the black-haired girl in the middle of it after Kamijou had destroyed the outer shell with the ability called Imagine Breaker.

It was simply amazing… and gutsy.

With it, this spiky-haired boy could stop the attacks of the third ranked like it was nothing when she blamed Isadora and Kamijou for the recent murders. It now made sense how the telekinesis user couldn't use his powers to lift him, or how that red wall was shattered by just coming in contact with his right hand.

The power of true guts!

As for his current disbelief of the existence of magic, both the boy and me were starting to accept that it was true. Not only because of the thing called **Ragnarok** that he was about to face, but also because Isadora had taken him to fly on a broom… a flying broom! Like a witch from those TV shows would. Simply awesome!

After seeing the guts and bravery of the boy while he jumped from a falling building to break the outer shell of the black thing, Isadora had appeared just in time to catch him mid-fall. They even baited Ragnarok into entering some sort of portal created by the brunette with… magic!

And now he stood before the magician that controlled Ragnarok, just as Isadora had revealed her to be. A fight to death was about to start and there was something I, as the observer, felt at witnessing it.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was getting fire up!

"Behold Ragnarok!" The magician's smile twisted. "I will now destroy you and this wretched city!"

Even if the spell of Ragnarok had apparently become stronger, the boy didn't faltered. His guts were of steel, his determination unshakable, this was it! Bring it on!

"Hmm… This doesn't look good…" The brunette commented behind him.

Red pulses came from the black thing as the ground cracked beneath it, dark energy exploding from the fissures, "Here it comes!" The boy shouted.

A fearsome battle took place, where the boy avoided and negated with his power the attacks of Ragnarok, even witnessing magic again when Isadora made an apple grow in size in order to shield him for the red projectiles. The magician controlling Ragnarok enveloped her arm with the black energy to create some sort of sword.

It was amazing to see him grabbing the sharp blade with his mere hand without it cutting it. As it was supposedly made of magic, I guessed his ability could hold it, though I wondered why it wasn't shattered like the rest of magical spells. That doubt would end when Isadora explained that the sword had an extremely fast self-regenerating capability, so the Imagine Breaker couldn't fully negate it.

The definitive proof of what the self-proclaimed magician was capable of was when she practically created from a shiny circle, a large monstrous hand that produced an orb of energy that would ultimately deflect a barrage of red spears from Ragnarok.

After seeing that with his own eyes, neither the boy called Kamijou nor I could deny it. Magic was as real as esper abilities.

The battle was getting to an end.

Kamijou Touma had to end this now with all his guts.

"HOW!?" The wielder of Ragnarok screamed in indignation, "Even if your ability can negate magic, how can it stop the end of the world!?"

"Because the end of the world is not meant to be, not brought by you or by the hands of anyone else," Kamijou pushed himself forward as he gritted his teeth fiercely, "The end you speak of is nothing but a mere Illusion that I will destroy with this right hand. I'm no Hero, I'm not the strongest esper, but…" The boy gave two more steps forward, his glare fearsome, "Right here, right now, I'm the only one standing in front of you… That is why it is up to me to stop you."

Such a gutsy speech! I'm moved!

The Imagine Breaker reached Ragnarok at that moment and a loud piercing sound echoed throughout the area. Red cracks spread through the demonic energies around, an intense light erupting from them until they broke into millions of pieces as if made out of glass.

The enemy magician came into sight as the black thing was completely shattered.

A few moments passed when finally, Kamijou Touma's voice was heard in the isolated area.

"It's over…"

"Yes… It indeed is over… At least for me…" The crimson-eyed girl spoke softly in resignation. "You have won…"

The boy shook his head.

"I've won nothing…"

Two minutes later, his eyes would witness the horrible death of the former wielder of Ragnarok. Even if the boy and Isadora tried to stop it, they failed to do it. The bracelet on her arm was killing her in an indescribable way due to an apparent curse.

I felt the overwhelming despair of the boy as all what was left of the punished girl was the accursed bracelet that somehow had absorbed her.

"I was useless… I fought to protect everyone, but I couldn't do anything for her…" Kamijou muttered with a weird tone, "I couldn't, I couldn't…"

A girl stepped near him but the boy completely ignored her as he kept muttering and muttering his failure. He was broken while I was totally stunned by this turn of events.

Isadora Sprengel observed the broken boy. His eyes only focused in one spot; his hands that rested on the ground, "Touma…" She whispered worriedly.

I, Sogiita Gunha, was completely shocked.

**/END of Broadcast/**

**Part 5**

* * *

Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 04

* * *

He opened his eyes, his vision was blurry but it was improving. A form shielded the light from a tall post from reaching his face, so he blinked several times to improve his sight. A girl, a brunette, a magician… Isadora Sprengel observed him directly in the eyes.

He was resting his head over her lap, both still over the bench in the rooftop of his school, though it was already night.

"I…" Sogiita began, smirking, "I understand now, not everything but hell yeah!" He seemed doubtful for a second before he spat vigorously. "He is the gutsiest person I have ever seen!"

"He is, isn't he?" She replied softly, "I was so impressed too… but he is gone…"

Sogiita pulled his body up and sat properly, "I want to bring him back, not because that weird guy had told me to, but to give him the chance of living he deserves!" He stood up, "I can see why the end of the world could be stopped by someone with so many guts like him!" He made a pose, "His fortitude is inspiring!"

The girl was seemingly startled, yet she rested her hands on the bench as she smiled, muttering something to herself he failed to hear. Isadora raised her head and nodded, standing on her feet as well and pointing at the text still in middle air.

Her expression hardened, "I will translate this text so you can know the consequences that brought his absence to events that had already occurred," She dropped her gaze, "I was so surprised when the **Black Man** gave me this information that I couldn't forgive myself for not being there for my friends when they needed help."

Sogiita frowned, "Tell me then…" He looked at her with determination. "I won't run! I won't hide! I'm here so spit it out!"

The girl bit her lip as if she gathered courage to speak again. He wondered how many hours had passed since he started seeing the memories of the deceased boy and what's more, he could not believe that the brunette had remained with him all the time.

"It goes as follows…" She began, closing her eyes, only to open them, yet they were now red and shone intensely, just like he saw in the memories of a deceased boy, "Commencing interpretation of Latin archive… analysing…" Her voice was robotic, "Archive analysed, proceeding to decipher Latin alphabet… done."

"Whoa!?" Sogiita blinked in shock at this weird development. She was not behaving like a normal person at all, in fact, her monotonous voice made it seem that she was a robot or a cyborg. "You, missy, never stop doing strangest of things!"

"Date: 18th July. The shopping mall Seventh Mist was almost destroyed by Hatsuya Kaitabi as his esper abilities hit level 4. A child died within the explosion and the Judgement member, Kazari Uiharu resulted severely injured."

Sogiita blinked, he had no idea who were they, but he had heard about that incident, "Was that guy captured by the authorities?"

"Negative," She replied, "However, he felt into comma due to using Level Upper and when he awoke, he admitted his crime," She explained, "Date: 24th July. Harumi Kiyama murders Anti-Skill agent, Tsuzuri Tessou, using Multi-Skill and several other agents. This was meant to be avoided with Kazari Uiharu's intervention, yet she was hospitalized by the time this event ocurred."

"Wait, if this guy Kamijou had been alive, the death of the child and this agent could have been avoided?" Sogiita inquired, folding his arms.

"These are the consequences of his death, whether he should have personally participated in any of these future events or not, so I can't tell if he was involved directly."

He rubbed the back of his head in puzzlement and motioned her to continue, "Date: 28th July. Mikoto Misaka faced the saint, Kaori Kanzaki, in battle after defeating Stiyl Magnus, who lost an arm fighting the Railgun. The result: The number 3 lost and ended in comatose state due to her grave wounds and loss of blood. Index Librorum Prohibitorum was taken into custody by the religious organization, Necessarius. Her memories were erased after that. Vergilio Jekyll, member of Neccesarius, held Index Librorum Prohibitorum's custody since then."

"That happened inside the city?" He jaw was almost hitting the ground, "What is a saint, anyway? Was that saint so gutsy that she defeated the third rate?" More questions continued to pop up one after another, "What is Index Li… whatever…"

"Idol Theory says that a replica can obtain a small portion of the properties and powers of the original being or item. Humans are said to be made at the image of god, therefore, Saints are a higher replica, which give them incredible power and abilities beyond normal humans."

"Okay?" He really didn't get what she said, so he let it slide, "Understanding things like those are just trivial in the end, so I don't need to get them!"

Isadora continued, "The defeat of Mikoto Misaka was covered by the higher echelons of the city," Isadora's lifeless voice explained, "I can assume they did because Academy City had become weaker due to the sudden disappearance of the General Superintendent Aleister Crowley."

"What?" His jaw dropped again, "The head of the board of directors is gone? Just like that? How gutless of him to leave the city like that, man!"

"This is the main reason they chose to hide this using Tree Diagram," She elaborated. "If this event was to be known worldwide, the impending war between both sides would have started, and AC was not prepared to deal with something like that yet."

"I see… well I don't really, but who cares?" He smirked, hands on his hip. "What is that thing you mentioned? And what is it with the religious group?"

Second passed before he got a reply, "Index Librorum Prohibitorum is a member of Necessarius, who holds within herself 103,000 grimoires," She stopped briefly. "Necessarius is an international security maintenance organization created to counter magicians, mostly in England," His confusion continued to become bigger, "Grimoires are magical texts that hold esoteric knowledge and powerful magic spells written in them. Index's perfect memory had allowed her to memorize them, so her retrieval from Academy City back to Necessarius' headquarters was of great importance."

"This is just too many information!" He shouted, grabbing his head. Then scoffed, smirking, "But my guts can handle it, please continue!"

"Date: 2nd August. Skill-Out group, Big Spider, was annihilated by unknown forces. Blame was directed at the former leader, Wataru Kurozuma, and was arrested after discovering that he was alive."

"His death caused that?" Sogiita wondered out loud.

"Date: 8th August. Alchemist Aureolus Izzard leaves Academy City after discovering that Index Librorum Prohibitorum was taken back to England. Aurelous Dummy leaves Aisa Himegami, wielder of Deep Blood, on the verge of death as she was of no use to his original. An unknown magic cabal kidnaped her from the hospital where she was being attended during the same night. The Thirteen Knights of the Roman Catholic Church were killed and the blame was put on the Cult of Science, which created the first sparks of a coming war."

_(I'm not gonna ask the missy what is an alchemist or Deep Blood. I don't think I need to know it! But a war? Between who!?)_

Isadora proceeded, "Date: 16th August. Tokiwadai student Kinuho Wannai is killed by SCHOOL's sniper, Yumiya Rakko."

_(Hmm… I think I heard about SCHOOL before… wait… that name!) _Sogiita recalled the memories of the boy that no longer existed… _(The girl that Kamijou saved was murdered…!?)_

"Date: 20th August. Number 1, Accelerator, kills Tokiwadai students Kuroko Shirai, Mitsuko Kongou and the 10032 clone of Mikoto Misaka when they attempted to stop the Level 6 Shift project by defeating him. The end result of the battle was a massacre. Level 6 Shift project continued."

"Level 6?" He gasped in disbelief, "There was a project to achieve that!? " Sogiita mused profoundly, "What is that project? Why are there clones of the third rate!?"

"I have no information of the project," He twitched an eyebrow at her reply, "Nor I have any intel about the clones of Mikoto Misaka. My knowledge is limited about the science side, so I can only speculate."

Sogiita dropped his shoulders in disappointment, before walking from side to side with a hand under his chin, eyebrows twitching, lips pressing. So much stuff occurred without him knowing a damn thing! How could he had ignored all of this?

"Proceeding…" His train of though was interrupted when the mechanical voice was heard again, "Date: 29th August. The Chemicaloid by the code of Febrie passed away due to the poison that her own body secreted. STUDY was dismantled By MAR after discovering their plans."

He nodded, not really knowing what she was talking about. Sogiita didn't felt like asking anything about it.

"Unknown date. Angel Fall never occurred due to Touma Kamijou's death. Touya Kamijou got rid of all the charms on his house before the Angel summoning Ritual could begin."

_(Hmm? This is an event that didn't occur? Odd…)_

"Date: 30th August. Number 1 saves 20001st clone of Mikoto Misaka, code Last Order. Accelerator kills violently scientist Ao Amai, head of the first production plan of the Radio Noise Project. Using his vector powers, Accelerator deletes a virus within Last Order and saves her life."

_(That was unexpected…)_

"Date: 1st September. Hyouka Kazakiri, the conscious form of the Imaginary Number District was never involved in the attack of the magician, Sherry Cromwell. Scavenger was deployed to deal with the magician, ultimately killing her. The Roman Catholic Church took advantage of it and declared it a breach in the balance between both sides. The Third World War was now imminent."

"You can't be serious! But then again, it's all about guts!" Sogiita spat, "A war? Man, how many strong people would gather in a war!?"

"There is a delicate balance that can't be breached by either the magic side or the science side. The sole proof that espers had defeated a magician broke that balance, and there is no way the magic side would just stand still and do nothing. Science and Magic were mortal enemies. Both strived to take the lead, and both would do anything to take down the other."

This was too complicated, more that anyone could imagine. Sogiita realized that he had been living like an ignorant fool, and what was worse, his guts were not really helping, not in the way they should have been. This boy Kamijou… even if his only power was to negate the supernatural, was still a normal human, with no superhuman strength, speed, reflexes or any esper power like the rest of the espers, but twice now, Sogiita was witnessing the significance of Kamijou Touma's life and guts.

"Proceeding…" His trance was broken again when the monotonous voice spoke, "Date: 2nd September. Accelerator abandons by his own will the Level 6 Shift proyect."

Sogiita was a bit surprised, wondering what could have made the number 1 to abandon it, "Do you know why?"

"Negative… proceeding…" She started again, "Date: 8th September. Orsola Aquinas was crucified and subsequently executed by the Roman Catholic Church. Supreme pontiff of the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church, Saiji Tatemiya lost one eye in the battle against the paramilitary organization, Agnese Forces. The Amakusa refused to join Necessarius."

"More and more fights…" He muttered under his breath, "What was I doing when this happened? Did it occur in Academy City? Is it related to that gutsy boy, too?" He gritted his teeth in mild anger before raising a stopping hand. "Don't bother to answer. I don't want to know if I wasn't there! Practically, I have been doing nothing at all in this time!"

Several seconds passed and Isadora continued, "Date: 16th September. Ladylee Tangleroad almost completed the spell that would negate the laws of the world, however, the intervention of Ollerus stopped the spell, yet the Endymion collapsed due to the abilities of Shutaura Sequenzia. The authorities later found within the corpses of those that attended Arisa Meigo's concert the lifeless body of the singer."

_(Wasn't that an idol? Hmm… Now that I think about it, no one talked about her anymore… she died… Shit! Where was I yesterday when the Endymion collapsed!?)_

"Date: 17th September. Gemstone Gunha Sogiita meets the Golden Witch, Isadora Sprengel," The boy blinked, concluding that Kamijou Touma's death may have lead both to meet today. It was funny that she was called Golden Witch, fully knowing that she despised being called a witch according the memories of the deceased boy, "Date: 23th September. World War III begins."

Sogiita was taken aback, yet remained silent.

"Date: 25th September. Arlands Darkstreet, leader of the magic cabal 'Dusk Waiting to Awaken', begins the ceremony to summon the sunken city of R'lyeh in order to gain the power of the evil god, Cthulhu. The Anglican Church interfered with the ritual, yet an unknown being materialized during their confrontation and killed Arlands Darkstreet."

_(Now it's about future events! But I have no idea what those terms mean at all!)_

"Date: 27th September. Otherworldly Evil Gods enter this dimension."

"What?" He blinked.

"Date: 29th September," Sogiita sensed something dark emerging in her robotic voice. "The God War begins…" Her expression twisted into a pained smile, "D…d-da…te… hahaha…" Sogiita was alarmed, "4th October, 4th October hehe… 4th OCTOBER!" She abruptly raised her voice, she seemed to have lost her mind, "4th OCTOBER. END OF THE WORLD! END OF THE WORLD! THE END!"

The number 7 wasted no more time and held her by the shoulders, shaking her so she would react, "Hey! Sprengel-san! Get a hold of yourself! Hey!"

To his relieve, her tensed body relaxed, she closed her eyes to only open them. They were back to normal. She seemed confused as he helped her sat on the bench.

"W-what happened…?" She shook her head, she still seemed to be in pain, "I have this terrible migraine since I met the Black Seeder… Did I lose control again?"

Sogiita took some seconds to respond, still shocked, "Yeah, your guts got out of control."

**Part 6**

"This is a lot worse that I had imagined," Sogiita commented, looking at the brunette across the small table with a kotatsu turned on. It was a really cold night.

Isadora took a sip of the hot chocolate he had prepared for the cold weather, now both were inside his dorm, the **Sogiita Residence**. He had decided to take her to his dorm room as she looked quite pale after revealing the future, the end of it…

He looked at the calendar over a column. Today was 18th September, so he had until 3rd October to stop the end of the world, which would be seemingly caused by otherworldly evil gods, whatever those were.

"You okay?" He asked, resting his arms over the short table, "What happened to you, missy?"

"You already know my name so don't call me missy! And I told you already, I'm not okay…." Retorted the magician, "This… this is just too much for me… I need to sleep…" Silence filled the room for some seconds. "Can I take your bed?" He blinked but shrugged his shoulders. "Thank you… but don't you dare do anything weird or I'll turn you into cockroach and stomp you!"

"My guts would never allow me to do something as shameless as that!" He replied with a bothered tone, "I'm gonna patrol the streets while you sleep. I need some fresh air to think about a bit. I may run around the district for some exercise."

With that, Isadora nodded and stood up, walking to his bed and let her body fall over it. She let a soft moan, and smiled hugging the pillow tightly. Sogiita looked at her and grinned, deciding that his doubts would need to wait a bit longer to be clarified. He then stood up and left his dorm.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Man… I have been a fool all this time! My guts haven't helped anyone!" He sighed, looking at the night streets of Academy City from a tall building. Currents of winds graced his skin from time to time, "How is someone supposed to stop the end of everything!?" He sat on the edge of the rooftop, folding his arms. "Hmm…" The gears of his brain began to move, "Guts! I'm gonna stop it with my guts!"

Sogiita Gunha stood up, rising his arms while smirking, several colorful explosions behind him. Screams were heard in the surroundings, making him realize his overreaction.

"Ups, my guts got out of control again," He commented, scratching the back of his head. "Anyhow, I won't give up. I will do this!" He leaped from the rooftop to another and headed back to his dorm.

**Between the Lines**

**St. George Cathedral**.

A blond girl of unknown age that wore a beige robe rested over a large sofa, her eyes closed as she mused profoundly. The room where she was currently resting was simply majestic. The old stone walls, the wooden columns that were carved with many draws related to historical events of the **Anglican Church of England**, a large glass-stained window that showed the image of the **Canterbury Cathedral**, former headquarters of **Necessarius**, which confirmed this room to be part of the Cathedral.

As Necessarius used magic to achieve the goal of eliminating magic in all its classes in **Britain**, this organization was first seen poorly by the Anglicans, which lead them to be chased out of the Canterbury Cathedral.

They were considered an outlying organization, yet they made various contributions behind the scenes across the years. Eventually, Necessarius gained power and support within the Anglican Church and had become a worldwide organization, making the St. George Cathedral their main base of operations.

And so, the leader of Necessarius was inside their base as expected, planning her next move. She was aware of the sudden events occurring across the world, such as the Anti-Academy City riots, the incoming **Anglican Church–Russian Orthodox Church Prewar Conference**, where it would be decided which side each Church was going take on the unavoidable war between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City.

Her spies and most likely, the ones of the Roman Catholic Church, had discovered the growing decline in the Academy City's defenses, therefore, the Anglican Church and the Russian Orthodox Church had reach the conclusion that a conference was of need to review which side they would take during the coming hostilities.

"I can't believe the war is coming so soon," The blond commented to herself, opening her clear blue eyes to observe the ceiling, "The God's Right Seat are controlling the strings from the shadows and are increasing the hate of believers towards Academy City… Fiamma of the Right is up to something."

"He indeed is," A male voice resounded in the room. The beautiful blonde moved her gaze to the only door in the room where a man wearing a high-quality tuxedo, a light colored vest under it and black shoes that matched the outfit. He had brown slicked-hair and golden eyes that observed her with intensity, "All we can do is act accordingly and prepare our forces, don't you agree Archbishop?"

The **archbishop** of the **0th Parish** of the Anglican Church's Necessarius, **Laura Stuart**, looked amused, a tiny smile gracing her lips. She stood on her feet, her long golden hair tied behind her head with a large silver hairpin bounced slightly. Before her stood the man that had become her right hand and trusted companion, her personal butler, **Vergilio Jekyll**.

"Do you need to keep using that lofty tittle to address, Vergilio?" She asked, giving some steps to the large window. "Please refrain from calling me by it when we are alone."

"As you wish, your highness," The man replied, bowing with one arm crossed over his chest as she sighed, not satisfied with his response, "Richard Brave had sent word of his findings in Scotland. Apparently, there is an unknown cabal stablished in Edinburgh, but we have yet to discover their goals and identity," Vergilio put both hands behind his back in a solemn manner. "Should we send reinforcements?"

Laura shook her head, taking some steps back playfully, "No, we can't deploy any of our magicians yet, the Roman Catholic Church is preparing for the coming war, so in case they decided to attack us, we'll need to have our forces ready to protect London in case we decided to support Academy City."

Laura was taking several measures to ensure that the Anglican Church was ready to act when the war began, fully knowing that the Catholic Church had finally allowed the mobilization of **La Regina Del Mare Adriatico**, one of the **Ten Holy Artifacts** of the Roman Catholic Church, which was** a **9th century large-scale weapon and flagship created to destroy Venice, its influences and culture. She presumed that it would be used to storm Academy City now that it was vulnerable. Yet, the fact that they could also use it to invade England was still possible, so she had decided to strengthen their defenses.

"But your highness…"

"Don't brood in such matters, Vergilio," She said reassuringly, looking at the butler. "Prepare my schedule for today, and inform Stiyl Magnus that I need to discuss some matters with him personally."

Vergilio bowed to the blonde, "…It will be done your highness."

After receiving his orders, the butler left the room, not making any noise to make sure the soothing silence that Laura enjoyed wouldn't be broken. The archbishop sat again, putting a hand on her cheek in a fake concerned manner.

"Too soon…" She muttered, "Everything is happening too soon, and too fast. What could have brought all this?" Laura mused, sitting on the sofa again as she contemplated the next course of action to take.

She knew that whatever side she chose to take in the coming war, Academy City would irremediably be destroyed, however, there was something else that bothered her, something related to the incident of Academy City where a whole district was destroyed some time ago.

She never received a complete report about that incident due to the alert status in the city during that time, so her spies had their hands tied, but she manage to at least discover that some organization was plotting to assassinate her by using an advance weapon from AC. Their goals and means for achieving such remained unknown to her though.

Whatever the case, Laura knew she had to be cautious, after all, the future of the Anglican Church and England rested in her hands.

**o-0-O-0-o**

Vergilio Jekyll walked solemnly through the busy streets of London, observing the workers that strolled from one street to another where stone apartments with more than three hundred years of antiquity laid at both sides of the street. A small church came into his sight and he entered it.

Inside, a small empty chapel awaited him. He looked around before taking out his cell phone to make a call, "Lord Magnus?" He said when the call connected, "Yes, the archbishop needs your presence in the cathedral," Some seconds elapsed. "Understood, I'll inform the archbishop. Godspeed."

The call ended, his eyes noticing the left wall at his side twisting like it was made of water. Soon, a black-haired man that used cornrows emerged from the wall, who sported a long, black coat with white buttons in the middle and metal spaulders over his arms.

Said man bowed to the butler, "Master Jekyll," He greeted, smiling darkly. "What brings you to my modest base of operations?"

Vergilio glanced at him coldly, "I have a task for you," He responded with a lifeless tone, "Investigate Academy City before the war is declared," The brown-haired man sat on the bank nearest to him, "We have to act before the conflict erupts, and I trust that you'll obtain valuable information about them," A serious expression emerged on the butler, "They failed, and that person is still alive. I won't make the same bloody mistake of trusting a group from the science side, but I'll need all the intel you can gather about their weapons and strategy."

Then man with cornrows, tiny moustache and beard put a thoughtful hand under his chin, an evil glint in his eyes. He was **Judicael Blackwood**, member of Necessarius and principal Directorate of Intelligence. His group conformed the analytical branch in charge of the production and dissemination of all-source intelligence analysis on key foreign issues.

Judicael chuckled, his red eyes were stoic, "I assume your sudden interest in the defenses of Academy City is not only related to the coming war, is it?" He motioned with his head for Vergilio to follow him, and both entered the twisted wall as if it didn't exist. Both now stood in a small room with a ladder that led underground, "My agents found out that the Golden Witch had infiltrated Academy City again."

"That's interesting, and sort of troublesome," Vergilio commented as he walked down the ladders with Judicael. "The rumors must be true. She must be an ally of the science side, which would make her a serious treat to us," His voice held an undertone of irritation, "The archbishop is thinking about joining forces with Academy City to prevent the Catholics from gaining too much power if they overwhelmed the city of Science… the nerve of that woman."

The man with a tiny beard and moustache smiled, glancing at the huge room before them. Various magicians and members of Necessarius were casting several spells across the room to monitor certain areas around the world. Some of them communicated with magicians deployed in other countries via magical runes. This underground area was the main base of operations of the Intelligence department of the Anglican Church.

"It seems that tricking Sherry Cromwell into attacking Academy City worked quite fine in speeding the war," Judicael chuckled slightly, glancing briefly at one of the vision spells cast by a certain young boy. "Though I still doubt that was the only reason for it."

"What other reason do you think would be then? Vergilio stared at him, "Illuminate me."

"Sherry opposed you, and I recall that she even stated that she didn't trust you at all," Judicael replied easily. "Maybe, just maybe, you found her a nuisance and sought a way to get rid of her, which by the way worked perfectly."

"I would admit that if I had planned it, it would have been a clever move, but I didn't. I'm just glad that I won't have to see Lady Cromwell anymore. Though it's a pity that her skills as an interpreter of emblems were lost with her death… " "Good grief, we might have to start looking for a replacement."

Judicael was about to comment when something caught his interest.

A girl with blond hair tied up at the back, who sported a red dress, approached them with an annoyed expression. **Freadia Strikers**, agent of Necessarius had just contacted the survivors of the Zaragoza terrorist bombings in Spain through her crystal radio, and she was mad for the lack of information about the group behind the terrorist attacks.

"This is outrageous!" She exclaimed angrily, "Why are we allowing this unknown cabal to terrorize the citizens of Spain, and what is worse, attack our bases across that country!?" She fumed, making Judicael sweat drop, while Vergilio observed her stoically, unmoved by her irritation, "We should send more people to catch those bloody psychos!"

The butler sighed, holding his disgust from emerging on his facial features, "You heard the Archbishop, Lady Freadia. We won't dispatch any magician from this country as long as she thinks it's unsafe for us to do so. We don't know what the Roman Catholic Church is up to, but our main priority is England," He raised his gloved hand in front of him, a small ball of yellow energy materializing before it faded after some seconds, "I share your opinion, lady Freadia, but we have to obey the archbishop."

Freadia frowned and muttered under her breath, "You don't have to remind me that…" She folded her arms as something else came to her mind. "Anyway, I think you should know that a mercenary has been hired by Lidvia Lorenzetti."

"A mercenary?" Judicael raised an eyebrow in amusement. "That insane woman hired a mercenary? Unbelievable… and I first thought that she was more devoted to their rules, but she's just too radical… even for my tastes," He commented with a hand under his chin.

"Whatever is their purpose, there are playing all their cards before the war begins," Freadia sat on a large sofa and massaged her legs as she continued, "The Stab Sword is under their control and it's been transported from the Vatican to an unknown location recently… I can only assume they are going to use it against us if we support Academy City, or maybe the mercenary has something to do with it."

Vergilio Jekyll, top class magician, personal butler and also bodyguard of the archbishop, darkened his gaze. The others became silent and wary at his reaction, fully knowing that he was an exceedingly dangerous individual given his past deeds. People often said that he was a descendant of the mythical **Dr. Henry Jekyll**, guilty of countless murders across England in 1986, yet proof was never found that could make this rumor an actual fact.

Vergilio never spoke of his origins, and even refused to answer when asked.

It was still unknown if he was truly related to Doctor Jekyll, as the surname Jekyll was rather common on England. Laura Stuart had stated that all the gossip attributed to such rumor began due to the **April's Fool** slaughter in **Netherlands** two years ago, where Vergilio destroyed by himself a large cult that idolized the **Celtic** goddess **Erecura. **

**Cornucopia**, as the cult was called, became a target of Necessarius due to the disappearance of countless citizens across the provinces of **South Holland**, **Gelderland**, and **Limburg **of the Netherlands. The Anglican spies managed to uncover their participation in the kidnaps, even discovering that the cult made human sacrifices to worship Erecura.

Laura Stuart sent Vergilio to test his magic capabilities, an also deal with the cult. One day later, fear erupted in the Netherlands when the authorities found what seemed to be the base of this cult, totally destroyed. The cultists were found dead for causes such as being buried alive, decapitation, cuts in their throats and large holes in bodies caused by unknown means.

After the slaughter of Cornucopia, a rumor began to circle around those in the magic side, which said that Vergilio Jekyll transformed into a mindless monster when he was tasked with eliminating magic organizations. As his surname was Jekyll, magicians began to call him **Hyde**, just like **Edward Hyde**, evil alter ego of Dr. Henry Jekill during the serial murders in 1996.

It's still unknown to most Anglicans if this massacre was an actual order of the Archbishop to ensure that no more cults would continue to emerge in the Netherlands, but since this event, Laura Stuart had taken him as her personal butler despite that most within power inside the Anglican Church refused such a bold action on her part at first.

Vergilio Jekill was a trained butler from the most exclusive School for professional Butlers, the **British Butler Institute **after all. So in only three after he joined them, he earned the respect and trust of the Anglican Church, the Royal Family of England, and mostly from every member of Necessarius. The archbishop of the 0 Parish was no exception.

"We will only wait for the Roman Catholic Church to make their move," The British butler said, glancing at his fellow comrades, "Only then my lady will know what to do, and only then we will act. As we now have Index Librorum Prohibitorum in our territory, we'll make use of her to counter their magic weapons if it comes to it."

Freadia nor Judicael argued, knowing that the holder of the 103,000 grimoires was now under the care of Vergilio, and both only nodded. Only time would tell their next course of action.

**Part 7**

September 18th. 16 days remaining before the END of the world.

The number 7 stood on a podium in the middle of a field, where many students and tourists from the entire world were congregated. Today was the beginning of the annual city-wide interschool sporting competition, the **Daihasehai Festival**.

Sogiita was left in charge of the opening pledge alongside Shokuhou Misaki, however, the level 5 mentalist never showed up to the event, so he had to do it alone. The pledge was broadcasted live to the entire world.

"We…" Sogiita began, "…in accordance with the sportsmanship wish that this year's Daihasehai…" He folded his arms, "…and the unbreakable bonds that will…" He blinked, "The bonds that will… ah, what was it?"

Between the crowds surrounding him, a magician observed him with utter interest and amusement. Isadora had used on herself a spell based in the **Flying Dutchman** legend only told in the sea lore. With it she had made her body ethereal and incapable of being detected by not only the human eye, but also by any surveillance machinery.

"What is the lad doing?" Isadora muttered, sweat dropping.

"Erm…" Sogiita scratched his cheek, "I think there was a bunch of stuff about the unbreakable bonds that you'll have to deal with, all while your guts overflow..."

Isadora glanced at the students that were staring at the level 5 blankly, and then at the teachers staff, which were staring at him in disbelief. She had seen Sogiita reading the speech that was prepared for the opening of the festival some minutes ago and it seemed he had forgotten it.

The number 7 smirked, "Listen up!" He called out loudly, causing a small tremor, "Show the results of your everyday training! Your guts too!" More people began to look at him dumbfounded, "Show off that splendor and guts to the weaklings without it!"

Energy began to gather around the level 5, causing fear in the students nearest to him. The ground of the field began to shake and screams began to erupt.

"Nooooo! He is at it again! / We better get away! / Run!"

"To make of this tournament the best memory ever," All while the students began to step back, he continued. "Overcome all obstacles thorough trial, hardship and getting up each time we fall…"

Isadora could feel something bad was about to happen, and a couple of seconds later, she found out that her own gut was not mistaken.

"OVERCOME EVERYTHING WITH GUTS!" Sogiita raised a fist upward, several colorful explosions occurring behind him which blasted away the poor students near him.

The teachers and directors of many different schools could only gape in surprise at the explosions, while the students that managed to get away had their jaws dropped. A teacher made his way towards Sogiita and grabbed the microphone, coughing due to the dust, "Uhhh… with this we end the opening ceremony…"

Isadora deadpanned, twitching an eyebrow.

"He is indeed a bloody git…" She muttered, "Seriously…"

**o-0-O-0-o**

Near a yellow five story building where the **177 branch of Judgment **was located, Sogiita Gunha and a less depressed Isadora Sprengel, stood a block away from the branch building.

Current time: 5:50 pm.

"I should be displaying my guts in the athletic events!" Sogiita roared in irritation, "What are we doing here anyway?"

The witch, now visible after ending her spell, gave two steps over the solid ground, sporting a sports uniform from Sogiita's school. He had no idea how she got her hands on one of those though.

The sun was setting as both looked at the yellow building, her eyes seemed nostalgic.

"We don't have time for that, twat!" She suddenly snapped, rolling her eyes. "And…" She hesitated, "I was sort of afraid of coming here by myself, so stop brassing off!" She puffed her cheeks cutely, and fumed, "Just shut your mouth and follow me!"

Sogiita shrugged his shoulders, not understanding why she had gotten all irritable out of the blue. Maybe this place had something to do with it.

"Hmm…" He made a sound, scanning around.

Isadora raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"My guts could be mistaken but…" He looked at the several Anti-skill vans advancing through the streets. Actually, since the last weeks, he had noticed many workers installing new cameras across the district, also establishing new Anti-skill quarters in every area. Helicopters could be seen in the sky from time to time, something that would not be odd if those helicopters weren't heavily armed, "I think the security is a little tighter than before."

"Really?" She looked up to a passing helicopter, "I don't really see any difference, but then again, I'm not a resident of this city so my opinion may not be valid." Isadora put both hands behind her as if something came to her mind, "Maybe it's because of the delicate situation that Academy City is facing. Everyone knows about the Anti-Academy Riots erupting in Avignon, not to mention the the imminent war that will erupt soon."

"Yeah," He nodded to himself, his curiosity satisfied. "It must be that!"

Both walked to the building, and both noticed someone sitting near the entrance, over the steps. She wore a school sports uniform, had long black hair, a notorious forehead and a large chest. She used the jacket over her shoulders like a cape, just like him.

Sogiita could see she was spacing out as the black-haired girl completely ignored their presence when they stood in front of her. Her arms clutched her legs, her face displayed deep sadness.

"Um…" He ducked in front of her, looking directly at her face, "Are you okay, missy?"

The unknown girl blinked, apparently noticing him and frowned, "N-no…" The girl growled, "Just leave me be…"

Isadora put a hand under her chin, while Sogiita folded his arms. Both could swear they had seen her somewhere… A lightbulb over their heads lighted up when both recalled it.

Isadora asked before Sogiita could, "Are you a friend of Touma Kamijou?"

She had apparently recalled the girl's name, like he did. She was a classmate of Kamijou. Both had seen her in the memories of the **Imagine Breaker Boy** after all.

Sogiita recalled that she was called Fukiyose Seiri.

"…Why ask me that?" Fukiyose spoke sternly, "Do you know him?"

"No," Sogiita replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders, "But I've heard of him," And raised a fist, "He is a gutsy guy that belonged to this branch!"

Fukiyose darkened her gaze, making the brunette bit her lip. Isadora now could understand why this girl looked depressed. If she was a friend of Kamijou… that would mean…

"Gutsy...?" Sogiita blinked as he sensed her furious undertone, "He was not gutsy!" She yelled, standing up, by it making him stand still, "If anything, he was stupid! He never cared for what others felt!"

"He was stupid, but you are wrong if you think that he didn't care for us or any other person!" Isadora surprisingly argued, glaring at Kamijou's classmate, "If he didn't, he wouldn't have given his life to protect this accursed city!"

Fukiyose gritted her teeth, "No one asked him to give his life! No one wanted him to sacrifice himself! No one expected anything from him… and yet…" She dropped her gaze, slumping her shoulders, "He didn't think about us when he decided to die. His friends, his family, me…"

* * *

Go to profile, SEE: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Picture 02

* * *

Her voice faded, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Isadora and Sogiita were taken aback; both could understand her reasoning and feelings. They realized that Kamijou must have been really important to her… more than anyone could imagine.

"I'm…" Isadora lowered her gaze, "I'm sorry…"

Fukiyose wiped the tears from her face and walked away in silence. Both watched her go and disappear from their sight while trying to figure the reason on why a classmate of Kamijou would come here. Isadora realized that maybe this girl wanted to be in a place that meant something for him.

Not his dorm, not his school but this building where his beliefs and dreams started, a place that offered Kamijou the chance to truly make a difference. It was ironical to see the difference he ended up making on the world upon his death.

"This guy Kamijou…" Sogiita began, glancing at the sign that displayed the name of the Judgment 177 branch office. "…was he a member of this branch?"

Isadora sighed, "Yes…" She walked up the stairs and looked at him over her shoulder. "Don't just stand there, looking so dumb. Come with me."

The esper scratched his head and followed suit, both going inside the building.

**o-0-O-0-o**

"Are you waiting for something or what?"

Isadora gave no reply to Sogiita's question as she remained immobile in front of a door in a hallway inside the second floor of the Judgment's building, holding the doorknob as she stared to the door in utter silence.

Sogiita leaned to a wall at her side with arms crossed and peered at her, noticing her odd expression. It was like a mix of fear, ire and regret. Seeing her like that, he decided to take the wise route and let her be.

"I won't repeat this, and I don't want you to ask me why," She said with a dry tone, "Just don't mention anything about Touma, the Black Man or what we know about the future… the end of it in fact…"

He nodded, a minute passed, the brunette breathed deeply and finally opened the door, stepping inside.

Sogiita didn't move, guessing that he should wait until the magician told him to do so, and honestly, it irked him as he wasn't used to be bossed around. He heard some gasps inside, followed by voices and hurried steps. Soon, the sobbing of a girl came to his earshot, echoing in the barely illuminated hallway.

"Mmm… I think my guts can imagine what's happening inside…" He muttered under his breath, closing his eyes and putting his hands insides his shorts' pockets.

A brief moment passed until he noticed a shadow nearing the entrance, and the figure didn't resemble Isadora but someone else. Sogiita stood up straight as a blue-haired girl stepped out of the room and into the hallway. The new presence also wore a white sports uniform with red borders and the emblem of what he could recall belonged to the Tokiwadai Middle School.

"Umm…" She looked hesitant, "Sogiita-san?" The level 5 blinked, if only because she knew his name. Maybe Isadora just told her, or she saw him during the opening pledge of the Daihasehai, "Sprengel-san says it's okay, come inside…" She suddenly blushed, as if she realized something, "Oh… erm… m-my name is Awatsuki Maaya."

He nodded and grinned, "Nice to meet you!"

Awatsuki was seemingly startled, but then she smiled and motioned him to follow. Sogiita entered a room, an office in fact, with a desk on one side, a computer and two laptops over it, boxes filled with papers on top of the some furniture, a kitchenette in the corridor, two sofas and between them a short table.

There were 4 persons inside, not including Isadora. The English brunette was hugging tightly a girl with a flower headband around her head, and at their side, a black-haired girl that used a flower accessory and sat in the chair by the desk. The other was a bespectacled girl with blue hair that reached her shoulders, and finally, a girl with long brown hair and matching eyes stood by the side of the desk, holding in her arms some folders. All of them sported the green armband that labelled them as members of the disciplinary committee.

"S-stop crying Kazari…" Isadora patted the head of the girl she called Kazari, "I-if you do…" Her voice broke, "I-Im… hic… I'm gonna cry too…"

Sogiita slumped his shoulders at the depressing sight, noticing the sad expressions of everyone in the room. He could tell that this was of course related to the death of Kamijou Touma. The bespectacled girl sighed a stood up from the chair, stepping up to him as she offered him a hand in greeting.

"Hello, I assume you are a friend of Sprengel," He accepted her gesture and squeezed softly her hand, not wanting to hurt her, "My name Is Konori Mii, chief of the 177 branch." Konori turned to her companions. "This is Yanagisako Aomi,"

Said girl nodded, smiling weakly, "Nice to meet you, Sogiita-san. I never thought I would meet another level 5 here in this building."

The level 5 took a mental note of her comment, nodding respectfully, and turned back to Konori, who motioned her hand to the black-haired girl, "This is Saten Ruiko, the rookie of the branch."

Saten approached the boy and offered him a hand, forcing a smile, "Wow… you are the number seven of the level 5 ranked espers…" She nodded to herself, looking nostalgic. "We used to have a friend of your level, but she doesn't like us anymore…"

_(Hmm… could she mean the Railgun…? Or maybe Mental-Out?)_

"Ehem…" Konori coughed, putting her hands over Saten's shoulders, "Awatsuki greeted you, so the only one left is…" She looked over her shoulder at the crying pair, "Our support communications specialist, Uiharu Kazari."

Sogiita looked at Uiharu briefly before Konori spoke again, "I'm surprised to see that our English friend knows a level 5," She folded her arms over her chest, turning to Isadora. "Does he know about…"

He twitched an eyebrow… "You mean… about the gutsy magic side?"

There was silence, tension filling the air. His question made their gazes darken, and even Uiharu stopped her sobbing. Isadora turned to him with a serious expression and nodded, as if telling him that it was fine to address that matter. He guessed all of them must know about the existence of magic.

"Yeah…" Konori replied sternly.

Sogiita scratched his head in uncertainty, "Why do you guys know about it? Did Sprengel-san tell you too…?"

The magician among espers nodded, while the bespectacled girl responded, "Yes… and no…"

**Part 8**

Half an hour or so had passed, in which Isadora explained to him everything related to **Index Librorum Prohibitorum**, who surprisingly, was a friend of theirs. Isadora mentioned that the Railgun tried to stop the Anglican Church from taking the nun back to Necessarius, something that was previously mentioned when Isadora translated the Latin text that revealed the past and future. Knowing that, Sogiita came to the conclusion that these girls ended up discovering the existence of magic due to the nun that held super gutsy knowledge.

Apparently, Misaka Mikoto was once a friend of them, but after the death of Shirai Kuroko and Kongou Mitsuko, both friends of them, at the hands of the Level 1, Misaka had become cold, also rejecting all sorts of interaction with people. She had isolated herself from them, and as time passed, they simply had stopped seeing her as she no longer visited the branch.

Sogiita came to the conclusion that the **Number One** had to be stopped… though he had no idea of his current whereabouts.

For her part, Isadora Sprengel had apparently met them at some point in the past as the magician seemed close to them. Now that he thought about it, Isadora must have also led them to know the magic side and what its existence entailed.

Also, Isadora had revealed her intentions by coming here with him. While Sogiita first thought that she was wanted him to meet the people that the gutsy Kamijou Touma knew, he realized there was no real reason for it, so instead, he realized that she came here to gather information.

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 05

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"Um…" Isadora, who was sat in the sofa with Sogiita and Konori at her sides, began, "I was wondering if there is a way to get information about the higher ups. As you know, my only contacts in this city are you so…"

Sogiita sensed something off with her tone, as if she was not telling the entire truth and was doubtful, but in the end he decided to shrug it off.

Konori adjusted her glasses and looked at her inquisitively, "Why do you need that? The others looked at her, startled, as the chief of the branch narrowed her gaze, "You explained to us before how the balance works between both sides, so I don't know if it's a good idea to reveal secrets from our side to you, a magician. We all consider you a friend, but still…"

_(So they know that much? Maybe more than me...)_ Sogiita stared at Konori, realizing that her gaze had a lot of guts. _(Hmm… She seems strong… I wonder if she possesses a powerful and amazing ability.)_

"Honestly, I could care less about the balance," Isadora shrugged her shoulders, "Besides, you must have noticed that Academy City is arming and seeking to gain resources, right?" Konori nodded, the others seemed confused, "Your city forces killed Sherry Cromwell, a magician. Her death was taken a proclamation of war to the magic side. So the balance is already broken, and a war is coming."

"I understand now…" Saten muttered, putting a thoughtful hand under her chin, "That's why our parents want to take us out from this city," Her comment drew the interest of the others, "If a war is going to erupt, it's obvious that espers will be used to face the magicians of the church, right?"

"Yeah…" Isadora agreed.

Uiharu briefly glanced at them before she returned her attention to the laptop resting over her lap. "It seems that after the Daihasehai is over, Recovery Movement will be completely applied and more than 60% of the student populace will leave Academy City."

"I'm afraid that Academy City will fall if that occurs," Isadora concluded, not sounding happy despite being a member of the opposing side, "The war will be one-sided if the Science side loses such a large amount of their main forces."

"I don't understand something…" Saten spoke up, the focus in the room being directed at her, "Why is Academy City still holding the Daihasehai amidst the time where a war could erupt? I mean, shouldn't we evacuating or something? Not all students in the city are espers capable of fighting…"

"Think about it a bit," Isadora crossed her legs, "For what I know, that festival is held every year and it's broadcasted worldwide, isn't it?"

Sogiita folded his arm as he nodded, "Yep! The ratings of the Daihasehai are comparable to the world cup, so this is why it's broadcasted worldwide, so everyone can see our guts!" He made a pose, raising his arm, "It has been planned for weeks and I've been training for it!"

"So this festival is used as a political tool for Academy City, right?" Isadora added.

Konori adjusted her lens, "In fact, yeah. The whole reason for broadcasting to the entire world is to show the abilities of the espers in sport competitions," Sogiita smiled in amusement, the others seemed interested. "With this, we get the support and funding of many large enterprises and companies to continue with the investigation of esper abilities, and also start new projects for development of advance technology."

"I see…" Isadora mused a bit, "Now I'm totally sure. "The higher-ups of the city can't risk losing new supporters and funding. Though I think there is another reason for it," She noticed the looks of intrigue in very person in the office. "Wouldn't us, magicians, or the magic side, notice if something as the Daihasehai is not held as it usually has been?"

"What do you mean?" Yanagisako inquired, raising her eyebrows in confusion.

"Academy City can't show to the world that it's getting weak, and not holding that festival could prove that the city is having internal issues."

"It makes sense," Uiharu agreed, "Something as important as the Daihasehai wouldn't be postponed if there was internal trouble that could cause such."

"The Magic side would immediately know that something is wrong with Academy City, and they would take advantage of it. A pre-emptive strike would be their first move," Concluded Isadora.

Silence reined the room for a minute, which seemed endless as everyone was lost in thought. Eventually, Sogiita stood up, crashing his knuckles together while smirking.

"Well, I'm getting fired up!" He shouted, surprising the others, "It doesn't matter if they come at us in larger numbers. We will outmatch them with guts!"

The girls glanced at each other with startled expressions before they all sighed.

"If think you don't really understand the severity of this situation, Gunha," The British brunette deadpanned, crossing her legs and arms. Awatsuki and Saten blinked, probably because of the close way she addressed him, "You seem to have forgotten of what a powerful magician is capable of doing. Don't you remember what I showed you?"

Sogiita made a thoughtful expression, recalling Ragnarok. He had to wonder if his own esper abilities would have been enough to stop something such as that, so he had to admit that there were magicians with a lot of guts like him… possibly. This however, made him feel excited instead of worried. He was just eager to face magicians in battle.

"Just bring them to me and I'll show them my guts!" He bellowed, raising a fist, causing more sighs around him.

"Isa-chan," Saten sat by the magician and elbowed her softly. "Is he always like that? Also, it seems that you two are close so… What's the deal between both of you?" Her undertone was coated with mild slyness. For the first time Sogiita had seen her, she smiled sincerely. "I thought you were more into gir-"

"Saten-san! You shouldn't say something like that!" Uiharu admonished, turning slightly red, "I'm… I'm… I'm sure that Sprengel-san will tell us about their relationship when she feels comfortable enough…"

Saten grinned, Konori sighed and Awatsuki giggled, while Isadora became slightly red at the implications, "Hold on a bloody minute! I do know he is fit and all but…"

Sogiita scratched his head in confusion, not getting what they were talking about. He concluded that as women, they talked stuff that only made sense to them, so he shrugged his shoulders.

Isadora stared at the only boy in the room blankly, "Thank goodness that you are such a gormless lad," She sighed again, "In any case, will you girls give me a hand? I need all the available information that you can give me about the directive of Academy City."

"Is there something specific you're looking for?" Konori asked, taking a sip of her cup of tea, "We might be able to help you, but at least you gotta give us something we can work with."

Sogiita's gaze moved to the foreigner. She seemed doubtful, as if she tried to hide something from them. Despite that he came to the Branch office with her, he had no idea what she wanted to discover, or her intentions for that matter. He wondered if any of the girls of Judgment knew about the unknown entity, and his mission of bringing back a deceased boy.

He instantly dismissed that doubt as he recalled that Isadora told him to not mention anything about the unknown entity and Kamijou Touma.

"Well, there's this artefact that I need to find…" She began to elaborate, though she still hesitated, "My contacts inside the Russian Orthodox Church informed me that this artefact was sold as an antique during an auction in Paris, and while the identity of the purchaser was kept anonymous, I managed to discover his name."

"Wait…" Konori blinked, "Are you implying that one of the higher-ups of Academy City bought the artifact you're searching for?"

Isadora nodded, everyone becoming silent. Sogiita was confused, because it was strange that this group from Judgement, more exactly, a group from the science side would be helping an enemy of their side, a magician. The witch mentioned that no matter what, one side could not interfere in the affairs of the other.

So… why Index, who held such knowledge of the magic side ended in the care of science in the first place? Sogiita concluded that guts existed everywhere so if stuff like this happened, then science and magic could possibly work together.

Together at last, but not in each other's pockets.

Isadora did mention that both sides strived to defeat the other, but maybe there were exceptions, maybe there were some factions or just people that decided to ignore this rivalry, such as this girl, Isadora. So far, she only meant good.

She had already helped someone from the science side, the boy that died two months ago, Kamijou Touma. Together stopped the magician that used that gutsy spell called Ragnarok, so he figured that she only wanted to help, no matter if it was a matter of science or magic.

And so like her, he would be.

His guts would fight for the weak, even if the weak was to be a magician that would see him as an enemy, he would. What he called justice had no bounds. Science, magic, he had no reason to just stick to one side because he knew that both were capable of doing evil, as well as good.

All Sogiita could affirm was that he and his guts would always stand in the side of those weak and incapable of defending themselves. Evil would be crushed under his iron will… and his mighty amazing punch.

"Gunha?" He blinked upon hearing his name, "Hey Gunha! Stop spacing out, you git!" He looked at girl with the foreign accent, "We are discussing important matters!"

"Oh my, you two are really close…" Yanagisako commented, smiling slyly.

"He wished!" Isadora barked, gripping the sofa tightly before pouting.

Unexpectedly to all the females, Sogiita Gunha smirked, "Heh… can't tell if were are close, but I consider her a girl with a lot of guts!" He closed one eye playfully while raising a thumb, "Despite that I know nothing about Sprengel-san, I trust her."

The English girl couldn't help her face getting red upon hearing his words. Saten grinned with sly intent, while the others seemed to be surprised. Sogiita frowned upon seeing their reactions, wondering what was passing inside their heads.

"Y-you…" Isadora let out a sigh then, "Tch… I can't really get mad because you are dumb, and you seem to speak without thinking at all."

Saten's smile widened, "You know him well, too… I see…" Her voice indicated that she was making fun of the English girl, something that Sogiita was starting to like seeing. "Such a cute relationship!"

Isadora rose from her sofa, exalted, "I'm not in any sort of relationship with this donkey!" Sogiita raised an eyebrow upon hearing her insult, though he refrained from saying anything in return and just shrugged his shoulders, "I already have someone special!"

"Hmm?" The level 5 was surprised, Yanagisako winking at him as she noticed his reaction.

"Saten-san!" Uiharu began, "If she is the sort of girl to play with boys, we should wait for her to reveal it to us. We wouldn't want to meddle in her love affairs."

"Kazari!" The embarrassed brunette cried out, waving her arms frenetically, "Such a meanie… You were not supposed to be that way! Why did you change so muc-"

Silence came, all of them blinked, Isadora taking a depressed expression as she bit her lip and dropped her gaze. Sogiita scratched his head in confusion, his eyes darting between them as the silence prevailed in the room. Realization eventually hit him.

"The past is the past," Uiharu sighed, gripping her skirt while Awatsuki rested her hands over the flower-headed esper's shoulders. Uiharu nodded at the Tokiwadai student before directing her attention to Isadora, "We have to continue with our lives, even if we are depressed, we… we have to continue living for them."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" The magician apologized, walking to Uiharu and holding her hands, "I was acting like a senseless prat. I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't do it on purpose, so it's fine," Uiharu nodded, a tiny smile gracing her features. "Anyway, I think I might be able to help you with that, but I need details about the artifact."

The tense atmosphere seemed to be dissipating, that much Sogiita could tell. Isadora hugged Uiharu tightly, smiles emerging on the others as they observed them. After a brief moment, Isadora let go of her and nodded determinedly.

"All you need to know," Isadora said, looking a bit more cheerful.

As the others, he was also intrigued, but more other reasons. Was the artifact under the control of one of the higher-ups of Academy City related to stopping the end of the world and bringing back Kamijou Touma?

All Sogiita could tell was that he was about to embark on an adventure where all his guts would be put to test.

He had no idea…

**P****_$¿=_****A****_%(&amp;_****R****_|%$_****T****_)Ç /_9****_/ _**

She stood there, observing the city of science from a tall building, and it made her bored. She couldn't take it, the boredom, she couldn't. It made her mind scream in agony, it made her muscles tremble violently, the boredom was slowly poisoning her mind, and it drove her crazy.

She bit her lip, hard enough to make it bleed, yet only a black substance came out of the wound. It tasted horrible, yet she couldn't stop, it was addictive.

It was addictive.

Her feral blue eyes darted uncontrollably as she observed the nightlife of the city that she was ordered to monitor. She couldn't refuse her task despite that she despised the man that had brought her to life, she couldn't.

Because that man was all she had, and she hated herself for loving him with insanity. The sole thought of crushing his neck flooded her mind repeatedly, and it made her want to vomit. But she controlled her need for blood, if only because she loved him… his body, his smell… it was addictive to her.

Yes, it was addictive and it made her body tremble in ecstasy.

But that man was far away, out of her reach, out of her sight, yet not out of her mind. She had to see him, but she couldn't, and so the boredom was digging holes in her usually calm demeanour.

But she truly missed that man? Or the things she felt when she was close to him?

She needed a man to love, someone that she could intoxicate with her endless devotion and affection. Someone that wouldn't fear her, on the contrary, she wanted a man that would stand up to her and force his will upon her.

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Go to profile, LISTEN: Link in A New Road Of Misfortune: Chapter 10 Section: Song 06

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But whenever she found a possible companion, he simply… died.

None were brave enough to stand up to her, and if they did, none were strong enough to survive her unconditional love or understand her. Was it wrong to literally rip of the heart of your loved one? Was it wrong to eat it and truly become one with your lover?

She was not a cannibal despite that she only sought to eat human hearts, but only those that were worthy of her. Right now there was only one that reached that level of approval, and it belonged to her creator.

Of course, many found her way of living violent, repulsive, and disturbing… and those were dead for daring to question her.

After all, she simply desired to have her soulmate, her equal, her companion, that would be forever with her, hurting each other as they lived together, for the time it would last until she decided to have his heart ripped.

Right now, she truly hoped that what she was looking for would be here, in the city of Science, Academy City.

A heart she could assimilate, a taste she could savour and made her become insanely happy. The true and definitive form of affection… of love.

She loved the youth of men, she loved the energy of men, and she loved their guts, but searching for the one that would become her new special person was no easy task, it never was. Love was cruel to her, and it made her angry.

Her anger made her last companion to be skinned alive by her own bare hands, and she cried while she did, because her last companion stopped being what she wanted, his heart was no longer worthy. She was sad, disappointed, bored, but she had to do kill him regardless, to demonstrate that she respected him and valued the short time they spent together.

She could still remember the sweet accent of his blood on her hands, the sour taste of it… it was as if she had killed him just yesterday. She shivered upon recalling those fond memories.

Fond memories of the past, a past long gone… Now there was only boredom and deception.

The girl… the woman…. the human… the monster… felt the uncontrollable need of having a new partner, someone she could please, adore, show true devotion to, hurt, torture and… kill.

Academy City, where humans held amazing powers not related in any way to magic, could possibly be the place where she could find her new chosen one. She was informed by her superiors that seven existed among the so called espers, seven that were the strongest of them all.

The ecstasy was unbearable; she had to find a new companion. Her body needed it, her mind lusted for it.

Maybe one of them could prove to be interesting. Maybe one of them would have a beautiful heart, one worth eating…

Eating…

Crushing…

Eating…

Killing…

Devouring…

…

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**Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.**

**\- Frank**


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